


The Wind Blows Twice

by DescendedGaia



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Adorable Kasumi, Adorable Midoriya Izuku, And gave her an actual decent life, Bakugou Katsuki Swears A Lot, Feels, He’s an asshole, I don’t why I wrote this, I took a cinnamon roll, Kasumi and Izuku are purely platonic, M/M, Midoriya Izuku Has a Quirk, Mineta Minoru is alive and trash, Pining Midoriya Izuku, Pining Todoroki Shouto, They’re both dorks, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor's Bad Parenting, but eh, erased her memories, took her from another world, whatever
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-08-06 01:15:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 67,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16378604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DescendedGaia/pseuds/DescendedGaia
Summary: ‘Soul Guardian.’ The quirk in which the soul manifests an entity that reflects the very nature of its posessor.Midoriya Izuku was bullied, he was small, he was frail, he wanted to be a hero, but he certainly wasn’t Quirkless. A Guardian from the depths of his soul and a lifelong friend he isn’t willing to lose, and he definitely wasn’t going to give up being a hero with this Guardian by his side.(Or that fic where I stole an innocent cinnamon roll and put her into this world. It’s sort of a crossover but I’m only using one character)





	1. The Breeze Picks Up

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the somewhat of a BNHA and Xenoblade crossover fic. I’m only saying this cause I’m just using one character from the video game. That’s it. If you were looking for other Xenoblade elements in this story, this isn’the story for you. Enjoy!

80% of the human population across the globe possessed a mutation called a quirk.

In another universe and timeline, one boy had to go extreme measures just to become the No. 1 hero, but this isn’t that timeline. No, young Midoriya Izuku was merely a late bloomer, with how powerful his natural quirk was.

The world may be unfair, but it gives the hopeless chances.

***

“Kacchan! You shouldn’t hurt people like this!”

A young kindergartener was standing in front of a boy on the ground coughing and clutching his side of injuries.

“Playing hero, eh? Quirkless Deku!”

The offender, Katsuki Bakugo stepped forward with his palms opened. Mini firecrackers were set off as he and his companions stepped forward to the fearful and crying Izuku. Word had gone out that Izuku was Quirkless, he was never going to have a quirk. After the realization he was looked down upon severely and was bullied at every single turn. That didn’t stop him from dreaming to become the most powerful hero. Not because he wanted to be cool, but because he genuinely wanted to help people.

“Move out of my way!”

“No!” Izuku shook his head as more tears spilled out and rolled down his fat baby cheeks. Bakugo, Who was infuriated by the boy’s defiance ran forward with explosions setting off in his hands. Izuku immediately covered his face and cowered away. Though, the sear burning of Bakugo’s explosion never came. Rather the soft mellow breeze that seemed to pick up and grow stronger, until it became a gust that Izuku’s small body could hardly fight against. Even though the wind was fierce, for some reason Izuku felt a warmth, a feeling of reassurance that came from the wind.

“Are you okay, Izuku-sama?”

He opened his eyes to see that amongst the small whirlwind that picked up. . .a woman stood there. She was at least three times the height of young Izuku, her hair was colored mahogany and it draped at her lower back and waist, it was assorted in braids and some portions were let loose. Her clothes made her look like a shrine maiden, but instead of a long skirt, they were red silken pants that most definitely have lots of air room for her legs. There was a golden headless that placed on her head and a golden ribbon seemed to curve behind her head and downwards just below her chest. Her right hand supported a staff. The handle a pristine white marble, while the bottom was made out of furnished mahogany and designed with intricate golden lines, the top was a blue crystal arch with the bottom portions curving inwards. It gave room for three diamond shaped crystals to seemingly float on each side. The wind dispersed and Izuku noticed that Kacchan and his friends went off running.

“W-Who are you?” Izuku chattered. The woman turned around. First, Izuku thought she was really pretty, second her eyes had a gold color.

“I’m Kasumi, Izuku-sama,” the woman answered dutifully. Her hand pressed against a brooch of a blue diamond that held the large golden ribbon together. “I am your Soul Guardian.”

***

“Izuku? How was school today?”

Inko Midoriya walked out from the kitchen and was a bit startled from the sight. Kasumi was looking down at Izuku who was holding her hand and smiling the biggest of smiles. The smile was a rare sight and Izuku looked at Inko and beamed. “Mom! I have a quirk!”

It wasn’t the words that Inko would’ve expected to pop out of Izuku’s mouth. Kasumi let go of Izuku’s hand and dipped her head in respect. “Apologies Inko-sama. I would suppose that it is a necessity to explain the current situation.”

“Right,” Inko nodded with uncertainty and motioned for the both of them to come in. Talking over a steaming bowl of rice while Izuku was digging into his food enthusiastically.

“So you are the manifestation of Izuku’s quirk?” Inko questioned.

“Yes, Inko-sama,” Kasumi replied. “I am his Soul Guardian...I do apologize for the recent events and coming unannounced. Please forgive my inconsideration.”

“Ah! No, it’s fine,” Inko shook her head immediately. “You’re such a polite woman. I’m happy that Izuku will be looked after by a person like you. If you really are his Quirk, than I have no problem with someone else under our roof.”

Kasumi smiled and nodded. “Thank you very much Inko-sama.”

“Kasumi?” Izuku looked up.

“Yes, Izuku-sama?”

“Where are you going to sleep?”

Kasumi gave a brief smile before she glowed with an emerald aura and shrunk into an orb of green light. The two others watched in amazement as the orb drifted lazily and entered Izuku’s chest.

“ _Izuku-sama can you hear me?_ ”

Izuku jolted up and stood up on his chair. “I can hear you! ...where are you?”

The sound of Kasumi laughing softly resounded in his head. “ _I’m in your heart. You don’t need to worry about getting another bed for me. As long as you’re here, I’ll be able to sleep inside your heart and keep you protected._ ”

“That’s so cool!” Izuku exclaimed. Inko was left in confusion as her son glowed with the same aura before the same orb flew out of his chest and Kasumi reappeared in her previous position.

“Right?” Kasumi nodded. Izuku was practically jumping up and down from the excitement. The Guardian turned to Inko next and dipped her head in respect. “I hope you will take me well Inko-sama.”

***

Quirks were mutations of the body which allowed people to do featable things any normal (Quirkless) person couldn’t do. Creating acid, making explosions, or switching the inner magnetic poles of people and things to make them weightless. They were in other words Quirks of the body.

Though not all Quirks were classified under that type. There were rare ones, spiritual ones so to speak. Having a shadow, looking into the future, or having a Guardian from the depths of your soul. These were the abnormal of Quirks. Mutations that empowered the soul, mind, and heart.

This was something that a rare doctor had told Kasumi and Inko. Izuku on the other hand was a bit distracted with how he was playing around with his All Might statuettes. Inko looked at Kasumi and she nodded before they both looked down at Izuku.

“So Izuku-sama’s quirk is very rare,” Kasumi concluded. “Such a Quirk will be targeted by others. I suggest that we shouldn’t reveal the identity of Izuku-Sana’a Quirk just yet.”

Inko nodded in agreement. “I trust you Kasumi. Please keep Izuku safe.”

“I will, Inko-sama.”

***

It was when Izuku was six years old, that Izuku faced the dilemma, even when Kasumi was kept as his and Inko’s little secret due to how rare his Quirk was, he was virtually Quirkless.

“Is something amiss, Izuku-sama?”

Izuku wasn’t old enough to know much of the words Kasumi spoke, but he could guess what she meant. They were currently at his room, Kasumi engrossed in making a talisman, while Izuku was writing furiously in his notebook staring at the screen with All Might battling some villains. The greenette in question had his pencil on the table dejectedly and he didn’t have the motivation to write.

“I suppose it was how you were cornered and…”

“I want to learn how to fight!”

Kasumi looked up to see that the young nine-year old to see that there was a look of determination set on his face. “It will be the best course of action. My abilities and power and solely reflected upon your stature and statistics. We’ll get stronger together Izuku-sama.”

Izuku nodded and he seemed happy with their consensus. Kasumi immediately went back to making the rest of her talisman and informed Inko of their decision.

***

It was at Izuku’s ten years of age did change and growth began to become apparent in Kasumi’s power. After having grueling sessions of hand-to-hand combat and learning judo at the same time, Kasumi seemed to have more control of the air. As Kasumi was always there for Izuku’s training, Izuku was always there when Kasumi self-taught herself to polish her craft. Izuku had been getting more fit and more confident in self-defense, and it reflected on the Soul Guardian as well.

Holding her staff in front of her, Kasumi had her eyes closed in meditation as the wind rippled around her. Though, unlike the other times, her blue crystal segment of her staff glowed with a soft emerald light and when she opened her eyes, she raised her staff upwards and forward before swinging it in a wide arc in front of her. Condensed wind took the form of pale green bullets and they raced outwards spiraling forwards to hit the dummy in front of her. It didn’t inflict that much damage, but it was enough to bring a wide smile on Izuku’s face.

“You had other moves up your sleeve?” Izuku asked enthusiastically.

“This was something that I learned off as of this moment, Izuku-sama,” Kasumi replied. “I’m sure I’ll grow much more stronger the stronger you become as well!”

Izuku beamed and nodded determidley. “Let’s get stronger together Kasumi!”

“Yes, Izuku-sama!”

***

They grew up together. Izuku was always seen alone, but he was never lonely. He had Kasumi who was always diligently at his side. A supportive mother who was always beam at them whenever they came home with content faces caused by the amount of their training. Over the course of the years, reflected through Izuku’s experiences, wishes, and training, Kasumi had learned more of her power and uncovered much more. Healing (or the scenario of one’s antidote is another’s poison), being able to restrain others to render them immobile, close combat with her staff, an uncannily sharp eye, and increased control over the wind.

These traits (except for healing and restraining) through further training could be channeled over to Izuku, though his power wasn’t powerful to the extent as Kasumi’s but they were enough to be of use. Being now a Black Belt in Judo was a result of their diligence and the hard work paid off.

***

“So! All of you want to become heroes!”

A good majority of the class erupted in cheers as they showed off their quirks.

“Don’t put me in the same class as these extras!”

Everyone looked to Bakugo who had currently spat out the words in a condescending tone. The enthusiasm was long gone and everyone was glaring at him.

“ _Even after all these years, I still find his attitude quite endearing_ ,” Kasumi sighed through Izuku’s mind. He managed to keep in a laugh.

“That’s Kacchan all over isn’t it?” Izuku whispered to himself and Kasumi.

“ _I suppose so._ ”

“A-Ah. Bakugo you said that you were enrolling to U.A.?”

Everyone immediately began murmuring amongst themselves.

“U.A.? I heard that their acceptance rate is really low.”

“Really? That prestigious school? Expected of Katsuki.”

“Ah! Midoriya! You were planning on enrolling there too right?”

Izuku mentally braced himself. Him having a Quirk was hidden away to the others, so the others presumed he was merely Quirkless, and they all turned to him before laughing.

“Izuku? That Quirkless freak?”

“His ass is grass now!”

Izuku sighed and did his best to ignore all the insults that were shot his way. It was going to be a long day.

***

By the time the school bell rang, Izuku was already out of his seat and halfway through the door.

“Oi, Deku.”

The greenette turned around to see that Kacchan was glaring at him. “Sorry, I need to go. Nice seeing you, Kacchan.”

With that he left the room, and he left behind an indignant Kacchan who was yelling at him to “get his ass back here.” It was only until he got out of the school and a good few blocks away did Kasumi materialize into existence next to him. Her staff was gone and she smiled at Izuku and the boy smiled back.

“So where are we off to, Izuku-sama?”

“Well, I mean last week was my last Judo session. Should we try getting to our secret place and work more on you transfering your power?”

Kasumi tapped a finger to her chin, her expression deep in thought. “Perhaps. The exam is ten months away...I suppose that this would be the best course of action.”

“Let’s get going then!” Izuku said enthusiastically. He started sprinting ahead and Kasumi had no choice but to run after him. Their ‘secret place’ was merely an abandoned and dried river system under a bridge. There were a few a chalk marks on the wall signifying the amounts of times they’ve been there. Izuku immediately set his backpack down on a safe place away from the two of them while Kasumi merely summoned her staff into existence. Clenching his fists and shifting his weight from one foot to another, Izuku waited anxiously as an emerald aura began to shroud the both of them.

“Ready?” Kasumi asked.

“Ready,” Izuku affirmed. A burst of energy rippled through his arm and he punched forward, the wind bent to his command. A rush of air gusted forward and it made the water part ways only a little bit. He continued on kicking, punching, jabbing, the wind flurrying everywhere under Kasumi’s command. The Soul Guardian merely watched in pride as the greenette put his concentration into each and everyone of the moves. They were too concentrated at their mock training session, that they weren’t aware of the slime that seemed to bubble out of an underground sewage system. Izuku able to catch sight of it at the corner of his eye watched in horror as it bubbled up even more and lunged forward for an unsuspecting Kasumi.

“Kasumi!”

The Soul Guardian had no time to react as she was pushed out of the way and the slime enveloped Izuku.

“Ah, curse All Might for coming after me, but it must be my good day. Found a boy who could take my body.”

Izuku struggled against the bindings of the slime monster and tried to get out, but it had pushed forcefully into his mouth and absorb his body from the inside out.

“Don’t struggle so much. It’ll only take 45 seconds and you’ll feel no more pain.”

Izuku was going to die.

“Get away from him!”

The wind roared viciously as it shredded away the slime monster from Izuku and the victim coughed violently and collapsed onto the floor before being supported up by Kasumi. “Are you okay, Izuku-sama?”

“I’m fine,” Izuku managed to choke out. Hovering a warm hand over his throat, green light emanated from her palm and healed him of any internal injuries.

“FEAR NOT YOUNG MAN AND WOMAN! FOR I AM HERE!”

The two of them snapped their heads up, the voice sounded uncannily familiar and a rush of air exploded forwards and almost decimated the slime monster into oblivion. “TEXAS SMASH!”

They had to shield their faces and they looked up to see that All Might was there. A childhood idol, standing there.

“A-All Might!” Izuku squeaked. The hero was currently busy with the task of gathering the remains of the villain and placing them into an empty bottle that was conveniently placed on the concrete floor.

“Are the two of you injured in anyway?”

Kasumi stood up after helping Izuku up and narrowed her eyes at the hero. “All Might. Please excuse my inconsideration, but isn’t keeping that form unhealthy for you.?”

The two males snapped their heads to her. One in shock, and the other in pure confusion.

“Kasumi what are you talking about?” Izuku asked. “He’s All Might!”

“Can you not see it?” Kasumi asked. “His posture seems like how a person would puff up just to hide his obesity. He looks like he’s ready to bolt any second after finding out that we’re okay, and…”

All Might raised a hand and Kasumi stopped. She realized...she was rambling just like Izuku at times. Steam billowed everywhere as where All Might once was, there was basically a skeleton with the same blonde hair as All Might.

“WHAT???!!!!” Izuku squeaked. “Where’s All Might?”

“He is All Might, Izuku-sama,” Kasumi answered.

“Well,” All Might rubbed the back of his head. “I guess I owe the two of you an explanation, after all your friend here managed to see through me quite easily.”

So, on it went, All Might had suffered a blow from Toxic Chainsaw and received drastic injuries. Was made so that he could only sustain his hero form for only three hours. It seemed like a sad fate for the No. 1 Hero.

“Kasumi, can’t you…”

“I’m afraid this is beyond my healing capabilities,” Kasumi shook her head. “His wound runs deep and it’s been like this for several years. All my healing efforts will yield no results.”

Izuku sighed dejectedly and All Might...rather Toshinori Yagi stood up. “Well, if you mind doing me a favor. Can you show me the way to the police station? I need to turn this villain in.”

“Ah, yes!” Izuku stood up immediately and Kasumi took her time. “We’ll show you the way!”

Kasumi nodded in agreement to Izuku and they began walking off.

“So, Izuku-shonen,” All Might addressed. “And Kasumi-shonen, why were the two of you at that place at this time of day?”

“We were training,” Izuku answered immediately. “Together! We were trying to see how channeling Kasumi’s energy into me would work and we were trying to refine it.”

“Channeling your energy?” All Might questioned.

“Yes,” Kasumi nodded. “I am a manifestation of Izuku-sama’s quirk called Soul Guardian. We are connected, so through that connection it is possible for me to transfer energy to Izuku-sama.”

“Soul Guardian,” All Might tapped his chin. “I see, a very rare Quirk. Though, I do must ask, why do you call Izuku-shonen with such a heavy honorific?”

“I am his Soul Guardian of course,” Kasumi answered easily eliciting a worried look from Izuku. “Along with that, I am his lifelong friend. I give him this respect not only because we are tied to each other, but to compensate for all the times he was looked down upon by other people.”

Izuku was close to crying from Kasumi’s declaration. “Kasumiiiiiii~”

Though the moment was short lived due to a giant explosion resounding through the air. The three of them looked up to see that there was a narrow street in which there were a bunch of flares and a crowd of people craning their necks to see what the situation was.

“What?” All Might looked up at the commotion and looked at his pocket to see that the bottle encasing the slime villain was gone. “Oh no.”

He looked up to see that Kasumi and Izuku were already running across the street and pushing their way through the crowd. He hurried over there and his stomach twisted from the sight shown.

“Kasumi,” Izuku breathed. “That’s...Kacchan!”

Kasumi nodded in reply. The same slime villain from before was at the center of a bunch of fires that were no doubt the handiwork of Kacchan’s explosions.

“Get the fuck off me!”

“How long has he been stuck there?” Kasumi questioned an official nearby.

“Almost thirty seconds,” the guy replied with a worried expression. “We can only hope that the kid is strong enough for a hero more capable in this situation to come.”

Thirty seconds...Izuku looked at Kacchan’s struggling figure in fear and tears began to root from his eyes. “Kasumi, can’t you…”

“The place is too dangerous to create a windstorm.” the Soul Guardian replied immediately. “There are too many fires here, and creating a windstorm would most likely spread the fire over to other places.”

Izuku hesitated and looked from Kasumi to Kacchan and back again. There was only 5 seconds left before Kacchan would be killed! No, his mind went blank and out of complete recklessness and determination to help, Izuku sprinted forward. The slime villain took notice of him and tried lunging at him, but thanks to Izuku’s training and quick thinking, he had taken off his backpack strap and hurled it at the slime villain’s eye. It shrunk back immediately and Izuku clawed at the slime to attempt to get Kacchan out. The villain had recovered almost instantaneously and tried to wrench Izuku out of the way, but a pale turquoise light shrouded him and he found himself immobile. Kasumi stood in front of the crowd with her staff raised high in the air. The light from the staff pulsed in the air as Izuku managed to stick his hands through and pull Kacchan out. They stumbled backwards and Kasumi’s power faded away.

“You little brats!”

“WORRY NO MORE CIVILIANS! WHY?”

Everyone looked to see that the heroic form of All Might appeared out of nowhere. “BECAUSE I AM HERE!”

He clenched his fists and drew it back before punching forward. “MISSOURI SMASH!”

The wind pressure had exploded forward and completely dissipated all the fires and creating enough air pressure to cause a mini rainstorm. The slime monster completely decimated except for the remains scattered along the floor.

***

Bakugo was praised for his ability and sheer power of his quirk, while Izuku was reprimanded for his ‘reckless’ behaviour. Kasumi had returned to her position as being inside Izuku and had escaped before anyone could look for her. He was sent off with a warning and Izuku was dejectedly on his way home.

“ _Well at least you did the right thing_ ,” Kasumi reassured. “ _You faced danger even when you were really afraid._ ”

“Yeah,” Izuku sighed dejectedly. “But it kinda doesn’t feel right. My feet moved on their own…”

Midoriya continued along before All Might had come out of nowhere. Long story short, he had deemed Izuku worthy of being his successor, One For All, and decided to start training him to become a worthy vessel and help him pass the exam in U.A.

***

It was another ten gruelling months and Kasumi was there to cheer him along the way. He had began to eat more and Inko gave Kasumi questioning glances, but the Soul Guardian never planned to acknowledge them. His task was clearing Dagobah Beach and it took the entirety of ten months, Kasumi had grown exceptionally stronger in terms of wind control and restraining, which was highly reflected on how Izuku’s was a lot more bulkier. Well the end wasn’t so great as to how Izuku was forced into eating a strand of All Might’s hair.

***

Yuuei was a large and grand place. It’s buildings towered high above the people passing through the gate and Izuku marvelled the structural integrity of it. The first few hours went like this, Kacchan telling him that he was a fool for being here, a nice girl managing to keep him from tripping, and meeting Present Mic and taking the written exam. It was in that order and they were transported to some sort of mock city to take the Practical Exam. Destroying robots.

“Kasumi?” Izuku looked at the Soul Guardian who was standing next to him and evaluating her staff.

“Yes, Izuku-sama?” Kasumi asked.

“We should have to get in there as fast we can right?” Izuku asked. “So can you manipulate the air so that we’ll be able to move really fast?”

Kasumi nodded. “I can assist to the best of my abilities, but I won’t be able to restrain anything due to robots being...well not alive.”

Izuku nodded. “That’s fine…”

He stopped looking at his fist worryingly and Kasumi tilted her head. “Is something the matter Izuku-sama?”

“Well,” Izuku sighed. “After eating his hair I don’t feel any different. I don’t think I’ll be able to use One For All.”

Kasumi nodded in understanding and summoned her staff. “The exam is about to start. Let us prepare accordingly.”

***

The massive gates opened up and Present Mic on the loudspeaker yelled out, “GO!!!!”

Kasumi and Izuku wasted no time as she summoned a strong tailwind that sent them sprinting off before anyone else could react. Izuku’s vision was enhanced and he felt Kasumi’s power flowing and ebbing through his body.

“Izuku-sama!”

He saw it too. Three two-pointers came out of nowhere and he punched forward, a violent whirlwind bursting forward and shredding through one of the two-pointers and confusing the other two. “Kasumi!”

She had jumped high above Izuku and her staff was aglow. Brandishing her staff forwards bullets of condensed wind shot forward and hit their marks, cleaving through the heads of the other two. Six points for the two of them. Once she landed on the ground they took off again.

It had been going along in that same process. Finding some robots and inflicting minimal damage to destroy them so that the others would be confused on which one was in commission or not. By the time they got all the points necessary, well…

“What the heck is that?!!”

They looked up to see that a giant robot appeared out of nowhere and was towering high above the buildings.

“Is that the zero-pointer?!”

“You gotta be kidding me!”

“Let’s get out of here!”

Kasumi stood beside Izuku solemnly as he caught sight of something heart-wrenching. The same anti-gravity girl from before was stuck under some shrapnel and she was struggling to get out. “Izuku-sama?”

Though the greenette wasn’t there to answer. He was sprinting forward and Kasumi had no choice but to follow him dutifully.

“Kasumi when I jump can you propel me upwards?”

“Yes!” Kasumi answered back immediately. She bit back any questions or worries. She trusted Izuku-sama’s judgement and was willing to see this through. He leaped and Kasumi took it as her cue. Holding her staff above her head she began spinning it vigorously and a whirlwind erupted upwards rocketing Izuku into the sky.

He held on fast to Kasumi’s wind as he was sure that the Soul Guardian wouldn’t fail him. When the wind dispersed, he was right in front of the robot’s face and his arm pulsed with power almost to the point of pain.

SMASH!!!!!

Kasumi watched in amazement as he punched the robot and created one massive dent on the head. The moment Izuku exercised that power, Kasumi could feel the amount of sheer power in it. The robot was propelled backwards but the reaction force was that it was pushed forward from the building behind it. Izuku was at a free fall and Kasumi ran forward to catch him, but the same girl from before slapped him across the face rendering him weightless, before pressing her fingers together to let the greenette down gently.

“Izuku-sama?” Kasumi yelled. “Can you move?”

Izuku wobbled onto his feet and replied. “Yeah! I can move! Why?”

“Please get out of the way!” Kasumi raised her staff into the air. Izuku knew that the Soul Guardian didn’t toss words around for naught, he ushered the other girl out of the way as Kasumi spun her staff quickly and adjusted her form so that she was spinning her staff in front of her. The wind picked up around her before a massive whirlwind worthy of being called a hurricane was conjured. It pushed the robot backwards and it crashed into the building, decimating it and after making sure that the robot was no more of a danger, she stopped finally marveling how much power she put into that.

“Kasumi?” Izuku pokes his head out. “Is it okay now?”

Kasumi nodded and ran over to him. “Izuku-sama is everything all right?”

“Well except for my arm,” Izuku winced. His arm was twisted and the skin was blotched a nasty red. Kasumi bit her bottom lip and pressed a hand to the arm. Emerald light flowed about as the wind gusted around them. The arm slowly mended itself and Kasumi stopped once she deemed that the wound was healed enough. “Thanks Kasumi!”

“Please don’t be careless like that again, Izuku-sama.”

Izuku beamed and nodded.

“Are you unharmed?” Kasumi looked over to the other girl. She seemed only a bit nauseous but otherwise she seemed okay.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” the other replied.

“That’s good,” Izuku sighed.

The loudspeaker buzzed back to life. “TIME IS UP!!”


	2. The Wind of Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first and second days of U.A.   
> Izuku shows his Quirk off a little bit,  
> Bakugo is spiteful and an asshole as always,  
> and Kasumi notices a certain boy with a sad look.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! Those of you have played Xenoblade or Torna the Golden Country, will see some of Kasumi’s traits but altered a little bit. For those that didn’t, there won’t be any spoilers of the game in here. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

Izuku had left the practical exam pretty confident that he had a chance of getting into Yuuei.

“Overconfidence can be a deadly foe,” Kasumi lightly reprimanded him.

“I’m only confident I passed because you were there with me,” Izuku smiled at the Soul Guardian. Kasumi returned a soft smile before looking up at the sky.

***

In the weeks that they were waiting for the results, The both of them trained at Dagobah Beach. They had learned and polished a new little trick, where Kasumi transferred power over to Izuku when she was residing within him. Sure it took some tiring efforts, but they finally managed to get it down.

“Izuku-sama?”

“Yeah, Kasumi?”

He looked up to see the Soul Guardian sitting next to him and gently grabbing his wrist. Gently, she clasped some sort of charm onto his wrist. It was a bracelet made out of red silk and hung by a small golden chain was a little rabbit charm.

“What’s this?” Izuku examined it.

“It’s a good luck charm,” Kasumi replied. “I wanted to commend our efforts for being able to get to Yuuei.”

Izuku stared at it before he started sniffling. He buried his face into his hands and started wiping at his eyes profusely.

“Izuku-sama, is the charm something you don’t like?”

“N-No!” Izuku replied weakly trying to go for a smile. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”

Kasumi dwelled over what he meant before smiling.

***

To the Midoriya household’s delight, Izuku was accepted into U.A. and Inko was crying profusely asking Kasumi to make sure that Izuku would always be taken care of. The first day of school was coming around the corner and Izuku stumbled out of his apartment with Kasumi residing within him.

“ _Do you have everything, Izuku-sama?_ ”

“ _Yeah, you don’t have to worry Kasumi. I have everything._ ”

He took the train over to U.A. and he was brimming with excitement.

***

Inside the classroom...well everything was chaotic, and of course Bakugo had to be in the same class.

“GET YOUR FEET OFF THE TABLE!!! IT IS EXTREMELY DISRESPECTFUL!!!”

“I DON’T CARE FOUR EYES!!! GO FUCK YOURSELF!!!!”

Izuku stepped through the classroom reluctantly and soaked in what was going on.

“ _Well we are off to an interesting start. Don’t you think Izuku-sama?_ ”

“Yeah,” Izuku whispered to himself. “Definitely.”

“Huh? You’re that really nice guy!”

He looked to see that the girl from before was coming up to him. “My name’s Uraraka Ochako! It’s so nice to see a familiar face around!”

“R-Right,” Izuku stammered.

“Where’s the other girl?” Uraraka looked around.

“Kasumi?” Izuku rubbed his cheek. “Well, I don’t know what happened to her.”

“ _You’re lying skills need a bit more fine tuning_ ,” Kasumi noted.

“Oh, that’s a shame,” Uraraka sighed. There were heavy footsteps from when the boy with glasses came up to him. Izuku didn’t recognize him, but jolted when he bowed forward.

“ _He’s the same guy who yelled at you for rambling_ ,” Kasumi informed. “ _He does look a younger version of his older brother Ingenium._ ”

“Apologies for yelling at you earlier,” the boy bowed. “You were the one who saw through the test and demonstrated the true meaning of being a hero.”

Izuku blinked before trying to deny it immediately. “Y-You don’t have to!”

“Iida Tenya,” the boy informed standing up straight. There was a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

“Nice to meet you,” Izuku transitioned nervously. “I’m Midoriya…”

“If you want to acquaint yourself with friends, do it later.”

Everyone scrambled to their seats as a man with blotchy red eyes encased in a yellow sleeping bag trudged into the room.

“Is he a caterpillar?” someone deadpanned. The sleeping bag unzipped and Kasumi noticed a small detail.

“ _Yellow goggles_ ,” Kasumi informed Izuku. He narrowed his eyes channeling some of Kasumi’s sight to see what she was talking about. Under the guys scarf there were hints of yellow goggles.

“I am Aizawa,” the guy said. “I’m your homeroom teacher...get your P.E. Uniforms on. We’re going on the field.”

Izuku gulped.

***

They arrived at the field with matching blue uniforms and they were gathered in a group watching as Aizawa-sensei went on the field without much motivation. Kasumi was silent most of the time and the Soul Guardian’s silence put Izuku on edge.

“We’ll be testing you,” Aizawa started immediately. “You can get your results by using your quirks. Though whoever is last on the test will be given expulsion.”

Murmurs erupted through the group and Aizawa called Bakugo up for a demonstration. He tossed the ball 784 meters into the distance. The first thing was 10 meter dash. He had channeled Kasumi’s power most of the time and managed to cross the finish line in 5 seconds due to a big tailwind.

High jump, summoning gust after gust that sent him across the field and completely over the sand pit. The next test was the ball toss.

“ _Kasumi? You think I can manipulate the air enough?_ ”

“ _It’s possible_ ,” Kasumi nodded. “ _Shouldn’t you also use One For All?_ ”

“ _Well the last time my arm went kaboom_.”

“ _I see...I trust your judgement Izuku-sama._ ”

Izuku kicked and rubbed the end of his shoe against the dirt before readying himself to throw his ball into the air. The wind gusted about and it soared through the air, the wind carrying the ball before it plummeted forward accelerating quicker. Izuku sighed as he looked to Aizawa holding up his phone. 721 meters.

Izuku let out a sigh of relief. He was doing pretty well compared to the others. The push-ups and the curl-ups were somewhat of a struggle but he was able to pass it by an average score.

***

It ended up that a boy named Mineta ended up in last place, but apparently the expulsion threat was nothing more than a logical ruse to get people to do their best. Kasumi materialized out of the gates and they continued walking down away from Yuuei.

“Deku-kun! Wait up!”

They turned to see that Uraraka and Iida were coming up to them.

“Ah! Kasumi’s here too!”

Kasumi held up a hand and waved with a soft smile.

“You must’ve scored a lot of points on the exam,” Iida said. “Why weren’t you placed in one of the rankings for the exam? Midoriya-san here was placed second behind...Bakugo.”

“Well,” Kasumi started. “My points were added to Izuku...due to his Quirk.”

“Huh?” Uraraka looked at Izuku with horror on her face. “You cheated?!”

“It’s not what you think!” Izuku waved his hands frantically. “You see! Kasumi and I are connected due to my...or our quirk so they added our points together you see!”

They couldn’t under any circumstance tell them about Izuku’s Quirk until Kasumi deemed it safe enough.

“It must be some strange Quirk for U.A. to let it slide like that,” Iida nodded.

“Well, at least it’s a relief to know that Deku wasn’t cheating,” Uraraka sighed.

“Deku?!” Izuku asked indignantly.

“I think you might be mistaken for Bakugo’s nickname for him,” Kasumi informed politely. “The nickname Deku is usually correlating to ‘useless.’ It’s not a very fond memory for Izuku-sama.”

“Oh really?” Uraraka tapped her chin. “I thought it was from _dekiru_ , You can do it!”

Kasumi and Izuku exchanged glances and the Soul Guardian smiled. “I guess it would be appropriate for me to call Izuku-sama, Deku-sama now?”

“Kasumi!” Izuku groaned good-naturedly. Kasumi stifled a giggle pressing hand to her mouth.

“Well, it was nice being able to meet all of you. Apologies for our brief and vague explanation of our situation, but I’m sure we’ll be able to explain sooner or later.”

***

The next day, they had the full weight of all their classes. Even when Present Mic was at the English class, Kasumi took a liking to all the novels they were going to read and decided to let Izuku lay back on English and let Kasumi worry about it for him. Izuku on the other hand seemed a bit guilty on the fact that he was technically ‘cheating.’ History was also another subject that Kasumi volunteered to study on Izuku’s stead, so he was left with math, science, and Japanese. The Heroics Class, or their homeroom, was apparently going to be taught by a certain hero…

“I AM ENTERING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!!!”

Everyone was struck with awe as the No. 1 hero All Might entered through the doorway and stopped in front of the class. They were sent into changing their costumes and Kasumi was quite happy with the amount of work her, and Inko had put into the homemade costume. Inko was planning on modeling it after some sort of tracksuit and Kasumi went to work on sewing and stitching it so it was a light, durable, and breathable. She had taken the liberty of putting a bunny-style hoodie, a metal mouthguard, and a red good-luck talisman hanging from the belt.

It was a search and capture mission. The scenario was that there was a nuclear bomb hiding out in a ‘villain fortress.’ Two teams, one being the villains will have to protect the bomb, and the heroes have to get in and capture the bomb. They had a capture tape in which they wrap it around one villain to announce them captured.

“A-All Might?”

“Yes, Midoriya-shonen!”

“Can I talk to you about my quirk and this exercise?” Izuku whispered lowly. All Might leaned forwards as Izuku continued with a hushed voice. “So Kasumi, is my Soul Guardian, so am I able to have her with me during the exercise?”

“It is your quirk is it not?” All Might said clasping a hand on Izuku’s shoulder. “If she is willing to explain that I have no objection to it!”

“ _Kasumi?_ ” Izuku asked.

“ _My apologies Izuku-sama_ ,” Kasumi replied. “ _I’m not particularly motivated to attend this event personally. Please forgive me_.”

“ _It’s fine_ ,” Izuku replied. “ _Maybe you can try some other time_.”

“ _I will play the role of support and give you the power you need_.”

Izuku looked to see that All Might was looking at him expectantly. He shook his head and All Might’s shoulder seemed to sag. Izuku presumed that he wanted to see Kasumi at full power.

The first two teams were announced. Uraraka and Izuku as heroes against Iida and Bakugo as villains.

***

“You seem a little nervous Uraraka-san,” Izuku noted.

“Ah, well,” Uraraka scratched her cheek. “I guess I’m a bit nervous with how we need to go up against you know...the explosion guy?”

“He’ll come after me first,” Izuku said. “So thinking from that, I have a plan we could use.”

***

“Heroes! Enter the building!”

Uraraka and Izuku promptly entered the building and eyed the maze warily as they continued through corridors.

“ _Izuku-sama!_ ”

Izuku’s vision increased tenfold as he noticed the small movement of ash blonde.

“Uraraka run!” Izuku called as explosions resounded through the air. Bakugo came out of nowhere and charged straight for Izuku. From Kasumi’s borrowed vision he noticed the right hook and immediately stepped forward making Bakugo flinch. He grabbed his arm and mustering all his strength, he flipped him over and sent him crashing against the ground. The air rushed around him and boosted Izuku away from Bakugo was currently recovering. The earpiece in Izuku’s ear buzzed to life.

“Deku-kun? Can you hear me?”

“Yeah,” Izuku whispered back. “Can you look front the bomb? I can take care of Kacchan.”

“Okay!” Uraraka replied immediately. “I’ll do my best!”

“Kasumi,” Izuku whispered to himself as he began sprinting. “You saw those gauntlets on Kacchan right? What do you think they are?”

“ _Bakugo is certainly not a fool, Izuku-sama_ ,” Kasumi replied. “ _I may not be right, but I strongly think that those gauntlets are something that can be used to boost the power of his explosions._ ”

“Uraraka!” Izuku spoke back into the earpiece. “Once you find where Iida and the bomb is. Can you stay in position and hang onto a pillar? You have to jump when I give the signal.”

“What’s the signal?” Uraraka questioned.

“You’ll know it when you see it.”

Izuku kept on running down the corridors and Kasumi led him around him before they stopped at where Kasumi presumed was the exact area below the ‘bomb.’

“There you are Deku!”

Izuku gulped as Kacchan appeared from out of the corner and he flew forwards trying to hit Izuku. The greenette had predicted the move and tumbled out of the way to get out his trajectory. Bakugo had to swerve and stop himself to turn around to glare at Izuku.

“You fucking arrogant bastard! Why do you keep on looking down on me!”

Izuku had to roll out of the way the next time to narrowly avoid Bakugo.

“Fucking look at me damn it!”

Bakugo finally stopped and huffed heavily, glaring at Izuku.

“Deku-kun!” Uraraka buzzed to life in the earpiece. “I’m here! I’m waiting for the signal.”

“Okay!” Izuku nodded.

“Don’t fucking ignore me!” Kacchan yelled before raising his fist and pressing his fingers around some sort of lever. “I’ll make you fucking look at me you arrogant bastard!”

He pulled it and the light was blinding. Izuku immediately fell backwards and raised his hands above his face, a powerful gust of emerald wind exploding upwards taking the might of the explosion with it. Hot air always rises, Izuku was willing to take the risk and use that law of physics. The ceiling above him melted away and the explosion had faded only releasing a strong stream of hot air. He could see the pink blur of Uraraka flying through the air and she clasped her hands around the bomb and the buzzer went off.

“The Hero Team wins!!”

Bakugo just stood there with a shocked expression. Izuku gritted his teeth painfully rubbing his burned hands. The heat was blistering besides the protection of Kasumi’s wind and the said Guardian was fussing over him.

“ _Are you okay, Izuku-sama? That was a very dangerous game you were playing there!_ ”

“I’ll be fine Kasumi,” Izuku whispered to himself. “Let’s just get back to where the others are.”

***

The team was standing there separated from the other people of the group and All might started to speak.

“So! It is true that the hero team has won! Though, the question is, who is the MVP?”

A girl with her black hair in a ponytail raised her hand immediately.

“Yes, Yaoyorozu Momo!”

“The MVP was Midoriya Izuku!”

The greenette flinched and pointed at himself with uncertainty. “M-Me?”

“Yes,” Momo nodded dutifully. “Uraraka-san did follow diligently with Izuku-san’s plan and was the one who particularly made this possible, but as a hero she couldn’t inflict so much damage on the building with the recklessness she shown with all the shrapnel. Iida-san did have the mindset of being a villain and kept Uraraka from grabbing the bomb, but there was lack of cooperation between him and Bakugo-san. Katsuki on the other hand, was absolutely reckless and released an explosion that could’ve made fatal damage on their base, but Izuku had redirected the blast to their favor.”

Uraraka twiddled her thumbs nervously. Iida seemed to soak in the information diligently and straightened his posture. Bakugo on the other hand seemed out of it and was strangely unresponsive.

“Lastly, Izuku the MVP,” Momo continued with her deduction. “He was able to drive Bakugo-san away to set the plan in motion, along with that he was the one who deduced the true extent to Bakugo’s gear and managed to use it against them and in their favor.”

Well, technically it was Kasumi who had deduced it, but Izuku kept quiet about that subject.

“W-Well,” All Might seemed at a loss of words. “You are absolutely correct! Bakugo and Uraraka had endangered the area around the building and could’ve brought it down completely. Izuku had quick thinking in which he had redirected Bakugo-shonen’s blast to their favor. Along with that Iida-shonen and Bakugo-shonen did not have enough cooperation to succeed.”

“ _Izuku-sama_ ,” Kasumi said. “ _You did very well. Though the lack of One For All is definitely something we need to work on. It’s no doubt a powerful quirk and your natural Quirk is boosted by One For All. Thusly I am empowered from One For All. I suggest we should work on this later on?_ ”

“Thanks Kasumi,” Izuku muttered quietly. “Yeah we’ll do that later.”

He wasn’t aware that a certain bi-colored haired boy and another certain ‘explosive’ boy had heard Izuku muttering to Kasumi.

***

The others did pretty well, but Todoroki Shouto in particular caught Izuku’s and Kasumi’s attention immediately. He had frozen the whole building and single-handedly completed the exercise by himself.

“He’s powerful,” Izuku mumbled.

“ _His look_ ,” Kasumi noted. Her tone laced with worry. “ _It holds so much hatred...like there’s something out there that he hates. It’s bitter and sad. I can only wonder what happened to his childhood_.”

The exercise had ended promptly and everyone had crowded around Izuku and were praising him on his part of the exercise.

“You were so cool!”

“How you dodged was so cool!”

“You literally judo flipped Bakugo!”

“How you dodged was so cool!”

“How did you find out that his gauntlet was that explosive?!”

“Do you have a polarization quirk or something?”

“Polarization Quirk?” Izuku blinked. “Actually my Quirk is something pretty different.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“It’s a bit hard to explain,” Izuku rubbed the back of his head. “Also, I kinda promised someone to keep my Quirk a secret. So until that person gives me the okay, then I’ll be fine.”

***

It was a long walk to an abandoned warehouse near the harbor. After the events that transpired at their last ‘secret place,’ they had moved over to a warehouse that Kasumi had found on their adventures. The inside, the place was strewn with boxes, but they had made do with some of the abandoned supplies here. A few training mats strewn across the floor and a sandbag at one corner. There was a little target on the other side and Izuku dropped his backpack near the boxes. Kasumi walking beside him.

“So,” Izuku sighed. “One For All. That’s the biggest issue right now isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Kasumi nodded in response. “It’s our biggest issue. One For All is undisputedly a Quirk that is very powerful. The fact that you’re using it as a mere special move is a bit slighting it, as well as that, we’re letting one of our valuable assets go to waste.”

Izuku soaked in the information and plopped onto the ground. “So what do you think we should do? I mean one thing’s for sure. Whenever I use it my limbs go _kaboom!_ ”

Kasumi sat down beside him and seemed deep in thought. “We’ll have to work on that. I noticed that the one time you used One For All, you channeled all your power only into your arm. All Might is much more fit and stronger than you and seeing as how One For All is a passed-down Quirk, of course the power will break you. How about we adjust the power output to make sure it’s smaller and channel the power throughout your whole body.”

Izuku sat up immediately and realization struck him. “Why didn’t I think of it like that before?”

Kasumi giggled as Izuku got into a ready position and concentrated solely on spreading the power of One For All throughout his body. He envisioned the feeling of using One For All the first time. A feeling of confidence and adrenaline pumping through his veins. Slowly his veins glowed with a mystic purple light and spread all across his body. His body was shrouded in a dark green aura and electricity crackled around him. Kasumi had also began experiencing the power that Izuku was feeling and she merely accepted it and tried to work with it. Izuku experimented and punched forward. The air shifted ways and he continued to kick and punch. Though...he lost concentration and his arm cracked painfully. He yelled out and Kasumi ushered to him immediately.

“Izuku-sama! Are you okay?”

Izuku just gritted his teeth and Kasumi went right to work healing Izuku.

“Thanks Kasumi,” Izuku breathed out. “I should work on this a bit more.”

They resorted to meditating and Kasumi kept an eye on Izuku as he sustained the 5%. The veins finally disappeared and Izuku was just merely shrouded in a dark emerald aura. Electricity cackling in the air around him. He opened his eyes and sat up. He looked at his palms and beamed at Kasumi. “I did it!”

“We just have to work on getting it faster,” Kasumi nodded. “Once we get this down, then we’ll be a force to be reckoned with! We’re getting one step closer to being a hero!”

Izuku smiled as he willingly let the power of One For All away. Kasumi had timed Izuku and he had started off with 30 seconds to completely use One For All and input it at 5%. By the time they finished Izuku had slashed it in half to 15 seconds. Izuku took the liberty and dubbed it One For All: Full Cowling. They spent the rest of the time working on a different technique and polishing other skills.

“Switch!”

Izuku ran forward and Kasumi twirled out of the way handing him her staff Izuku slashed forward, but tripped on his own foot and fell forward. Kasumi stifled a small laugh and helped Izuku up. He sighed rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment while handing Kasumi her staff. “This is really difficult.”

“Our training will only help us master this,” Kasumi encouraged. “We should keep on working harder to our goal!”

Izuku nodded and clenched his fists. “Yeah! What am I talking about?! Let’s do it again!”

Kasumi and Izuku tried something new and this seemed to cause a fruition. Kasumi slashed forward and twirled out of the way and handed Izuku the staff. He hopped before slamming the crystal arch of the staff downwards before using the momentum to flip backwards. He held the staff like a cannon at his side and kept on jabbing forward. Missiles of green energy bursted forwards and hit the bullseye on the target.

“Kasumi!”

The staff disappeared out of his hands and reappeared in Kasumi’s hands. She willed it to spin forward creating a whirlwind that threatened to shred apart the ceiling above them. It eventually spun back to Kasumi’s hands and she twirled it. In that span of time Izuku had charged up One For All. Izuku punched forward the same time Kasumi thrusted her staff forwards. A whirlwind bursted forwards and knocked crates out of the way. Surprised by the amount of power behind that blow, they tumbled backwards. They stared at amazement before they looked at each other. They started laughing and Kasumi was _beaming_.

“So what should we name this?” Izuku asked. “I think we should give it a name before practice it a bit more.”

Kasumi tapped a finger to her lips before inspiration struck her eyes. “I think we should call it Starwind Link.”


	3. The Ferocity of the Whirlwind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day of U.A. has arrived and the heroes in training are enthusiastic about going through their newest training at USJ, but things take a bad turn for the worst.

The next day was a bit of chaotic. New reporters had somehow breached U.A. security wall and flooded in. The students all went in a panic and tried to evacuate before Iida had come up with an idea and calmed all of them down. From that event, Iida was announced as Class President and Yaoyorozu as Class Vice-President. After that they had a field trip to USJ. The bus ride there was short and simple, though the air was brimming with excitement. 

Kaminari bounced off his seat. “Guys, someone play some music!” Jiro threw a pretzel at him.

Aoyama, who had never sat down in the first place, was busying pretending to be a model next to Todoroki. “Don’t I look fabulous?” he asked the aloof boy. Todoroki gave him a once-over and shrugged. “No.”

Iida was scolding Jiro for throwing food on the bus. Jiro threw a pretzel at him in retaliation. Iida sat back down, defeated.

“Midoriya-chan, your quirk is very strong,” Tsu commented. She had a habit of resting her index finger on her chin. “It reminds me of All Might.”

“E-eh? My quirk isn’t like All Might’s!” Izuku waved his arms around frantically. Had she noticed the connection between he and All Might? “My quirk is a lot different from his!”

“ _ I think she was talking about the exam _ ,” Kasumi informed politely. “ _ Tsu is very observant. I wouldn’t be very surprised. _ ”

“Oh.” Tsu blinked blankly. “I do think both of you are very strong, kero.” 

Sato, on the right of Izuku, nodded in an unspoken agreement. Izuku blinked and Kasumi seemed at a loss for words. 

“ _ I suppose I stand corrected _ .”

“Yeah, Midoriya is strong. It’s good he’s not like Bakugo, though” Kirishima, from across Izuku, grimaced. “I don’t want to think about Midoriya being like Bakugo.”

Kaminari leaned over his seat to join in. “Bakugo has a shit personality, too! It’s like, sewage dipped steaming hot dog poop!” Tsu let out a ribbit in agreement.

“I’ll kill you, Pikachu! Just shut your mouth!” Bakugo’s hand reached at Kaminari, but the guy scooted away before Bakugo could get near.

“Speaking of strong quirks,” Kirishima continued. “Mine sucks. It’s strong, but it isn’t flashy like Bakugo’s or Todoroki’s.”

Aoyama called out from next to the red and white boy. “I have the flashiest quirk!” Kirishima rolled his eyes.

“Kirishima-kun, your quirk is cool! It’s excellent in defense and you’re able to be a strong weapon, right?” 

“You think so, Midoriya? Thanks!” Kirishima gave Izuku a toothy grin. “Does anyone have a snack? I’m hungry.”

If Kasumi was in her physical form, then Izuku would’ve seen the warm smile that graced Kasumi’s face.

Ashido pulled out some pocky from her pocket and tossed it to Kirishima.

The rest of the bus ride was spent with Jiro and Kaminari arguing over god knows what. Iida and Yaoyorozu tried stopping them, but Jiro threatened to throw more pretzels if they interfered. Todoroki fell asleep and Ashido almost drew on his face if it wasn’t for Aizawa’s glare. Hagakure played embarrassing music on her phone. Tokoyami slept too. He wasn’t happy when Aoyama accidentally woke him up.

“We’re here,” Aizawa announced, standing up. Izuku ducked, glancing out the window. The USJ was huge! Iida ordered everyone to line up single-file and exit the bus neatly and without issue.

“He sure is a good class rep, don’t you think?” Uraraka mumbled. Tsu nodded blankly. “Kero.”

With the help of Iida’s constant correction, class A made it into the USJ safely and without mess. Most of the girls were pointing around the dome. “It’s huge!” Hagakure shrieked.

“Wanna know what else is hu-“ Ojiro whacked Mineta before he could finish his sentence.

“Everyone, quiet down and listen to Thirteen,” Aizawa enjoined, swiping a hand across his face. He pointed to Thirteen, who they would be working with today.

“That’s Number 13!” Izuku murmured in excitement. He was having a fanboy moment and Kasumi had no choice but to stifle a laugh. 

“ _ You always had the admiration for different heroes did you, Izuku-sama? _ ”

“Thirteen-sensei? I love them! I want to be a hero like them when I graduate,” Uraraka babbled, excitedly gushing. 

“Hello and welcome to the USJ, students!” Thirteen chirped. Some of the class murmured a quiet hello. Izuku shifted his weight.

“Before we start, I have a couple things to say, so listen up!” Thirteen clapped their hands together cheerfully. Aizawa checked his phone. 

“First things first, I created the USJ for rescue training purposes. I’m sure Aizawa-senpai has told you what we’ll be doing today, so there’s no need for me to explain.”

Thirteen pointed to their hands. “My quirk is called Black Hole,” they explained. “Anything I suck in with my fingers will be turned to dust. It’s a wonderful quirk for rescue, not to boast, but it is also a quirk that can easily kill.”

“To put it simple, every single one of your quirks have the capability to kill a person. It’s a wonderful thing that we use ours for good and not for bad.”

Kasumi nodded in agreement to the speech that the hero had made. Izuku felt himself well up in excitement, but that wasn’t to be the case. Though...there was someone who gasped and Aizawa-sensei was suddenly yelling. 

“Everyone get together and stay close! No. Thirteen keep them safe!”

The hero nodded as Aizawa-sensei, or Eraserhead as Kasumi identified leaped from them and went down to battle a crowd of villains who had appeared out of nowhere. 

“Everyone follow me!” Thirteen ushered. “We must evacuate quickly!”

“I’m afraid I cannot allow that.”

They looked to see that black mist had curled on the ground in front of them. It became a wide murky pillar with glowing slits of golden light. They acted as eyes. His voice was seemingly polite, but it set Izuku on edge.

“It is a pleasure to be of acquaintance. We are the League of Villains.”

“Get out of the way!”

Kirishima and Bakugo had charged forwards and Izuku noticed that Thirteen couldn’t use their quirk. The capsule on Thirteen’s finger was opened and the mist only wavered but Izuku heard the faintest of, “That was close.”

Black mist enveloped the majority of Class 1-A and Izuku found himself falling through the air. 

He plummeted into the water and he began swimming up as fast as he could. He noticed that there was a shark villain swimming after him. He punched the water and air emanated from his palm and rocketed him out of the water and into a boat. Asui and Mineta came out of the water shortly after and ended up on the boat as well. Kasumi had materialized next to Izuku and was eyeing the water warily. A bunch of villains popped their heads out of the water and were glaring at the boat. 

“Are you all alright?” Izuku turned to his two other classmates. 

“We’re alright, kero,” Asui replied. “Call me Tsu. Who’s that girl.”

Kasumi turned and Izuku hesitated.

“If she’s here to help us, then I trust her, kero.”

Kasumi nodded and looked at Izuku. “Izuku-sama we’ll have to get out of here quickly. I theorize they don’t know our quirks. Tsu-san is exceptional in the water. They wouldn’t have put her here for no apparent reason.”

Tsu nodded as well and Mineta kept on crying profusely. “We’re going to die!!!”   


“Kasumi,” Izuku looked up at Soul Guardian. “We should hurry up and get off this boat. I think have somewhat of a plan.”

“You know me, Izuku-sama,” Kasumi reassured. “I will be there to support you no matter what you do.”

Izuku nodded and turned to Mineta and Tsu. He had taken notes of their Quirks from how they demonstrated them at the heroes vs. villains exercise from yesterday. 

“Tsu,” Izuku addressed. “Kasumi and I are going to jump and get them stuck. I need you to jump high enough to get me. I’ll be holding onto Kasumi so don’t worry about her. Mineta just needs to make sure they’re all going to be stuck together.”

“I trust you Midoriya, kero."

Izuku looked up at Kasumi and they shared a nod. “We’ll be off!”

The wind gusted around the both of them before they jumped high into the air. The villains were laughing at how it was going to be easy and Kasumi raised her staff as Izuku raised his fist. In synchronization, they thrusted forward and a gale of wind erupted downwards and created a massive whirlpool that dragged in all the unsuspecting villains. 

“Tsu!”

Kasumi grabbed onto Izuku’s arm as a tongue wrapped around the greenette and they were off in the air as Mineta was throwing purple balls and they kept all of them together. His head was bleeding and Kasumi took to work healing him.

They landed in the water near the central plaza where they were watching Eraserhead fighting off the crowd of villains. There was some kind crow-like monster that finally came forward and brought down the hero brutally. Another with a bunch of hands grabbing his body began scratching his neck.

“It’s a shame that All Might wasn’t here. We can’t kill him.”

Kasumi gripped Izuku’s arm in warning and the guy Shigaraki, seeing as how the warp guy Kurogiri addressed him. 

“Well, if he isn’t here. I guess we can bring down his pride!”   


In a blur he was right in front of Tsu and Mineta with his hands outstretched. Izuku was the first to react judging that there wasn’t enough time to channel Kasumi’s power. 

“SMASH!!!”   
The veins on his arm glowed purple and he punched forward. Though Izuku thought in amazement, his arm didn’t break. Did he finally control One For All at 100%? Though...he realized that the monster, Nomu was standing there shielding Shigaraki. The Nomu raised his fist and was going to pummel Izuku into oblivion if it weren’t for a large whirlwind that blinded it and Kasumi tackling Izuku out of the way.

“Tsu-chan! Mineta! Please run!”   


The two figures started running away and Kasumi got up and helped Izuku up. “Izuku-sama. We should escape with Aizawa-sensei.”

“We can’t,” Izuku replied as they found themselves back-to-back. “We’re surrounded. Also that guy is really strong. Our only chance is holding them off enough for the other teachers to get here.”

Kasumi pressed her lips together before looking at Aizawa. “Izuku-sama, please buy some time for me. I’ll heal Aizawa-sensei of his wounds and restrain them to the best of my ability.”

“Why do you want to kill All Might!” Izuku shouted. 

“Oh?” Shigaraki scratched his neck. “Why do we want to kill him? He’s the Symbol of Peace. The current epitome with how disgusting all of you people act. It’s so disgusting how all of you act with the No. 1 Hero flying around.”

Kasumi lowered her staff as a small breeze picked up around Aizawa and his wounds were slowly healing. His body shrouded in a dim emerald light. Izuku clenched his fists. They had a plan for killing All Might. 

“Nomu,” Shigaraki ordered. “Kill them. I’ve had enough with all of these NPCs.”

The Nomu got ready to charge, but Kasumi immediately raised her staff into the air. A blast of air erupted outwards and pale emerald light shrouded everyone and weighed them down, rendering them immobile. Izuku was still mobile and he sprinted over to Aizawa and got him out of the way. The Nomu struggled against the restraints before rearing up and completely shattering Kasumi’s power. She yelled out in surprise as she tumbled backwards from the backlash. 

“Kasumi!”   


The Nomu sprinted forward and was above Kasumi punching downwards. The wind picked up and got her out of the way. Izuku concentrated on Kasumi’s power and pointed his palms outwards. A whirlwind picked up around Nomu and then tossed him backwards. Kasumi immediately tapped her staff against the ground and tornadoes bursted around her keeping them all at bay. 

“Our main problem is the Nomu,” Kasumi informed retreating back near Izuku. “Should we try it out?”

“It’s our best shot,” Izuku nodded back. Kasumi immediately handed Izuku the staff and the wind flurried around him with newfound vigour. He shot forward like a bullet and slammed the blade of his staff down on the Nomu’s exposed brain. It seemed to affect as he flipped backwards and jabbed the staff forwards repeatedly. Missiles of condensed wind energy exploded outwards and homed in on the Nomu’s brain. It was hit at least three times before the Nomu raised his arms protectively. The staff disappeared out of Izuku’s hands and reappeared floating in front of Kasumi. She seemed to channel energy to it before spreading her right arm forward and the staff flew forward and spun around by itself creating a massive whirlwind.

“Spirits of the Air! Answer to my will!”

It had hit and drove away a bunch of villains, the staff returned to Kasumi’s hand and she spun it so that the blade was pointing at the Nomu. Izuku readied his fist as One For All ebbed through his body. He punched forward as Kasumi thrusted her staff forward as well.

“Starwind Link!”   


They hit the Nomu and an additional whirlwind exploded forwards driving the Nomu backwards at least a good 15 meters. 

“Oh, I see your Quirk,” Shigaraki scratched his neck. “Soul Guardian. Sensei doesn’t have a quirk like that under his possession. He would definitely want to add this to his collection."

Kasumi flinched and Izuku watched as the Nomu stumbled onto its feet. “Well, I think we should capture you two and offer you to sensei.”

“Actually,” Kasumi regained her composure. She turned and looked directly at Shigaraki. “We were merely buying time for a hero.”

The door let out a loud boom as it parted ways for a certain No. 1 hero. 

“DO NOT WORRY! WHY?! BECAUSE I AM HERE!!”

“Kasumi!” Izuku called. She nodded and grabbed Izuku’s wrist. The wind rocketed around them and sent them tumbling over to Aizawa-sensei. They grabbed him as Tsu and Mineta came out of nowhere.

“Midoriya!” Mineta was crying half in amazement. “What you did with Kasumi!”

“We have no time,” Midoriya interrupted. “We have to send Aizawa to a safe place. “Can you get him out of here?”

“What about you? Kero.”

“We’ll be fine,” Kasumi said. “Thank you for your concern. I will make sure that Izuku-sama will be unscathed.”

Tsu and Mineta nodded to each other before agreeing to carry Aizawa out of the way. He was completely healed of his wounds, but he was unconscious. 

“That’s All Might? He’s so much more intimidating in person,” a villain with long blue horns muttered.

“I know, right? He’s so much bigger too...”

Another villain with a skull mask slapped Blue Horns angrily. “Idiot, don’t gush over him! If we kill him, Shigaraki said he’d-“

In one swift movement, thanks to his incredible speed, All Might had flown down the giant stairs leading to the fountain area. The hero amazingly took down the standing villains faster than eye could see. Shigaraki and the Nomu were keeping their eyes on All Might who stood there. His bright smile was now intimidating. 

“Thank you Kasumi-shonen, Midoriya-shonen,” All Might turned to the both of them. “I thank you for all you’ve done up until now.”

“A-All Might,” Izuku croaked.

“Nomu,” Shigaraki ordered with a monotone voice. “Get him.”

“Kasumi!” Izuku turned to the Soul Guardian, but she was already at work. She raised her staff up into the air. Green light pulsed out of it and restrained the Nomu. The Nomu was still moving  but it wasn’t able to go at its original speed. 

“Stupid little brats,” Shigaraki muttered under his breath as All Might charged forward to meet the Nomu. He landed a hard punch on the Nomu’s gut...but the skin merely rippled and All Might seemed a bit shocked by the very least. The Nomu raised a fist and punched for All Might, but he got out of the way due to his speed and the lag caused by Kasumi’s power of restraining. Though a warp gate opened in the ground behind All Might and one in front of the Nomu. 

“All Might!” Izuku tried warning, but it was too late. The Nomu turned around and took a back cradle into the warp portal. His upper body appeared behind All Might and he reached out grabbing All Might by the sides and pulling him down with him. The Nomu’s fingers dug into All Might’s bad side and poured blood out. Kasumi’s power dispersed immediately.

“All Might!” she screamed. All Might was doing his best to get free, and One For All ebbed through Izuku’s body. It took at least ten seconds due to the adrenaline and panic that pumped through his veins and he charged forward summoning Kasumi’s winds to boost him faster.

“ALL MIGHT!!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you can give back constructive feedback! 
> 
> For y'all that played Xenoblade or Torna, then you know I put some of the video game elements of Kasumi into this, but if you haven't played the game, I absolutely there will be no spoilers in this story and have no mention of the XC2 world.
> 
> Thank you!


	4. Where the Breeze Meets the Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the dire situation at USJ continues to unfold as All Might steps onto the battlefield, Izuku and Kasumi both prove their worth and powress, becoming the target of the League of Villains, and Todoroki learns more about the mysterious duo.

DKurogiri opened another portal in front of Izuku and his eyes widened. His momentum was a fatal flaw...but an explosion shocked him out of his moment of panic as the warp gate suddenly disappeared.

“DIE!!”

Kacchan? An explosion had hit Kurogiri and he had pinned him against the ground. Izuku went forward and threw his punch downwards. Careful not to hit the Nomu’s arms, he hit the face instead, the neck letting out a sickening snap. The added momentum behind his blow was enough for the Nomu to loosen his grip a little bit, but not enough. All Might would’ve praised the boy for his improvements on using One For All if it weren’t for his current predicament.

“Get out of the way!”

Izuku immediately jumped backwards on instinct as a trail of ice erupted forwards and encased the Nomu’s arm. Izuku turned to see that Todoroki was there with the ice trail coming from his right foot.

“Todoroki-shonen?!” All Might’s eyes widened. The grip was loose enough for All Might to wriggle out and get out of the death trap. Kirishima had come out of nowhere and he dove straight for Shigaraki, but he had gotten out of the way immediately.

“Dammit,” Kirishima cursed before falling back to avoid any casualties.

Todoroki glared down all the villains gathered. “The No. 1 Hero can’t be killed by you guys.”

“Everyone is here,” Kasumi breathed. She rushed forward to support Izuku who was wobbling on his feet. He must’ve been suffering the backlash of his adrenaline high.

Shigaraki turned slightly to look at Kacchan. “Kurogiri, you’ve been thrown over by a teen.”

Kacchan grinned deviously. “Yeah, because you’re a careless asshole. Back then, you said ‘that was close’ when me and Shitty Hair tried attacking you! If you couldn’t be hit by physical attacks at all, you wouldn’t have said that. All that mist, it covers your physical body, right? That’s this metal thing?”

Kurogiri apparently tried to move, because Kacchan set off an explosion and told him he shouldn’t even try. Kirishima chuckled nervously. “That isn’t very hero-like, Bakugo...”

“Despite taking down our entrance and exit, you all are mostly unharmed. Kids these days...they’re so wonderful...so powerful...”

“I’d like our exit back. Nomu.”

On command, the Nomu dove towards Kurogiri and Kacchan. “Kacchan!” Izuku cried, attempting to move. But the Nomu was too fast for Izuku. Kasumi raised her staff but wasn’t quick enough to summon her power.

The Nomu reached Kurogiri, and a small explosion formed from whatever happened.

“Kacchan?” Izuku whispered carefully. Izuku looked over to Nomu, who crouched next to Kurogiri. But no Kacchan...

“I’m fucking fine, Deku,” Kacchan growled. He was on the ground next to Kirishima.

“You dodged that?” Kirishima asked, holding out a hand to Kacchan.

Kacchan grunted, taking Kirishima’s hand and pulling himself up. “No. I didn’t see shit...”

“All Might...?” Izuku glanced to where the dust rose, instead seeing All Might’s form. His arms were crossed, a position indicating he had taken that hit in replacement of Kacchan.

“You were going to hurt my student,” All Might grunted. He adjusted himself, letting his arms fall.

Shigaraki laughed. “So? Is violence only ever admirable when it’s the heroes doing it?” The villain turned and pointed at Izuku. “That one. The one with the quirk Sensei wanted. He tried attacking me, too. He was going to hit me with everything he had, you know.”

All Might looked shaken at the word ‘Sensei.’ Whoever Sensei was, he had to be behind this. Sensei wanted Izuku’s quirk? Kasumi and Izuku shared a glance and Izuku looked back at Shigaraki fiercely. “You’re not getting Kasumi! I won’t let you!”  
  
Kasumi seemed a bit shocked from Izuku’s declaration before she smiled and stepped forward. “You won’t hurt Izuku-sama either. While I’m here the tidings of the winds will keep us safe.”

“All Might, now I’m angry, you know. All this...this hero shit...it’s stupid. Trash of society, running around and doing idiotic things without repercussions. They become violent, corrupt, but it’s admirable, because they’re heroes, they’re the good guys...”

“That’s foolish, Shigaraki. You just wanted to take part in killing me, didn’t you? A game for you and the League.” All Might shot back, rolling his shoulders.

“Oh...you’ve really figured me out then.”

“All Might?” Kirishima huffed.

Shigaraki turned to Nomu. “Kurogiri, Nomu. Get him. I’ll get the boy.” Shigaraki turned, taking off. Kasumi and Izuku got into another fighting position ready to take on any danger. A pale green aura surrounded the both of them as they glared down Shigaraki fiercely. Though it was all for naught. Nomu and All Might flew at each other and threw heavy and fast punches at each other. The shockwave of the air pushed them back and Kasumi summoned a wind that acted as a barrier for herself and Izuku.

“All Might?” Izuku looked at them in amazement.

“He’s going beyond his limit,” Kasumi noted. “He’s giving it all just to make sure that we won’t be captured or harmed.”

Izuku gulped and cupped his hands to either side of his mouth. “ALL MIGHT! SHOW THEM!!! PLUS ULTRA!!!!!!”

All Might’s eyes twinkled and his smile seemed to brighten even more. All Might sent the Nomu flying through the trees. His head snapped up as All Might flew in after the Nomu, punching the creature straight up into the air.

The Nomu flew high up in the air, All Might following a second later. The hero swatted the creature, hard, sending Nomu flying back down to the ground.

The force of Nomu’s impact had the creature bouncing off the ground as if it were nothing. All Might flew back to the ground safely, arm poised under Nomu’s midair body.

“Villains, you may have heard this phrase before, but I want you to hear it clear right now!” All Might bellowed, ready to strike.

“PLUS-“

All Might’s arm buried itself into the Nomu’s body.

“ULTRA!”

All Might sent Nomu flying, the creature’s form soaring through the air. Nomu crashed into the top of the USJ, but the impact didn’t stop the villain. Nomu broke through it and kept soaring, form disappearing outside of the USJ.

All Might’s spectacular punch made the winds blow so strongly Izuku had to dig his own heels into the ground holding onto Kasumi’s staff to keep himself steady. Beside him, Todoroki did the same, teeth bared and grit. Despite it, he looked stunned, amazed by this level of power.

Kirishima’s mouth fell open in amazement. “He blew that thing right out of here...holy shit.” Even Kacchan was stunned, eyes wide in either, or maybe both, surprise and wonder.

“You know,” All Might spoke from in front of Izuku and his classmates. “If I were still in my prime, that fight would’ve been less than 50 punches.” All Might scoffed. “But man that took 300 hits.”

“Izuku-sama look,” Kasumi said quietly. There was steam that billowed from All Might’s body. Izuku’s eyes widened in horror.

“Villains,” All Might said, addressing Shigaraki and Kurogiri. Shigaraki was trembling, seething. “We all want this to be over as quick as possible, right? Come at me, then!”

He’s bluffing, Izuku realized. He can’t move anymore, or else he’ll transform into his true form. All Might can’t fight anymore.

Izuku’s whole body shook anxiously. Shigaraki and Kurogiri wouldn’t hesitate to kill All Might if the hero’s secret was exposed. When were the rest of the heroes supposed to get here?

Shigaraki snarled angrily. “You...you’re all trash...trash of society...”

Shigaraki and Kurogiri both rushed forward, Shigaraki running with his arms outstretched. Kurogiri followed close behind.

“Midoriya, we should go,” Kirishima called softly. “All Might’s got this.”

His message fell upon deaf ears. Kirishima, Kacchan, and Todoroki all turned away, getting ready to walk off but still watching the fight. Izuku stayed planted, frozen in fear. Shigaraki and Kurogiri, they wouldn’t hesitate to kill All Might once they learned he couldn’t fight back.

Kurogiri was in front of Shigaraki now, almost all the way to All Might. It was almost like a competition for who could kill the hero the fastest. Izuku was ready to move, but the blur of wind passing him had him stop. Kasumi was standing in front of All Might with her staff twirling in front of her. Though, she was a bit too late, Shigaraki’s hand was reaching out to touch her face. Izuku rocketed forward with his fist drawn back. No, he had to stop them from hurting Kasumi and All Might. He managed to get the metal brace on Kurogiri. The warp-user was sent flying into the distance, Shigaraki flinched and looked back, it was enough for Kasumi to gather up all the time she needed. A whirlwind blew forward pushing Shigaraki backwards. The whirlwind was violent and it spread cuts all over the villain. Kasumi stopped and pointed her staff at their direction as Izuku had his fists held up.

“The both of you so strong,” Shigaraki seemed to start laughing. “Oh, yes., Sensei would definitely be proud! Even though you’re the broken boss, we’ll have a good time getting you.”

He lunged forward but the whizzing of a metal blur pierced through his hand. Shigaraki looked up before three more bullets followed in quick succession. One on his other arm, and two legs. He collapsed forward and Kurogiri enveloped Shigaraki and teleported themselves away. The effects of Izuku’s adrenaline high disappeared and he collapsed forward. Kasumi had trudged over to Izuku, before collapsing onto a knee.

“Kasumi?” Izuku huffed trying to sit up. His arms shook from the effort before collapsing forward.

“Apologies Izuku-sama,” Kasumi apologized. “We put too much energy into Starwind Link. That’s the cause of our fatigue.”

“Kasumi-shonen, Midoriya-shonen.”

The pair looked up to see that All Might was torn between his frail and hero form. “You have done so much for me. I thank you from the depth of my heart...but please the both of you shouldn’t give an old man like me a heart attack again.”

Izuku and Kasumi stifled small huffs of laughter. “Izuku-sama, if you excuse me now. I’ll take my leave and try to replenish my energy.”

Kasumi shimmered with a pale green aura before disappearing into Izuku’s chest.

“Please remind me that that’s something to get used to,” All Might noted. Izuku wheezed from laughter and struggled to roll onto his back. Izuku heard footsteps approaching, as if someone were running.

“Midoriya!” came Kirishima’s voice. “Are you alright? I’m coming to help you up!”

Izuku’s eyes shot open. He craned his head back to see the redhead steadily approaching, and quick too. “Kirishima-kun?”

Izuku suddenly remembered All Might. The boy whipped his head around to face the hero, who looked distressed as well. “O-oh, Kirishima-kun, I’m okay!” Izuku called drowsily. Kirishima’s brows furrowed as he kept running.

A large wall coming from the ground built up, blocking Kirishima’s path. Pro hero Cementos stood next to his creation. “The heroes will take care of the injured,” he explained nonchalantly. “You and your classmates should get to the entrance.”

Kirishima stood dumbfounded for a moment, staring at the hero. “Oh, okay. Sorry!” The boy turned on his heel and ran back to Todoroki and Bakugo. “Oi! Cementoss-san said we should get back to the entrance.”

Izuku let out a sigh of relief, but his eyelids felt heavy. Maybe...he could get in a few winks before he had to move again. Though it wasn’t the case, he fell asleep immediately.

***

“Is Deku-kun alright?!” Uraraka asked the police officer who was ushering them to the buses.

“You mean the green-haired boy?” Officer Tsukachi asked. “He should be fine. He suffered from Quirk Overexhaustion and is in sleep. He didn’t suffer any physical injuries from what we see.”

The class let out a breath of relief. Tsu and Mineta kept quiet to themselves. If only they were there to witness his sheer power along with the mysterious girl Kasumi.

***

Light filtered through his eyelids and the soft voice echoed through his head.

“ _Izuku-sama? Izuku-sama, it should be time to wake up now._ ”

Izuku reached out to the light and finally opened his eyes fully. He was staring up at a white ceiling and his head _throbbed_. He sat up and held a hand against his head.

“Ah, good! You’re awake.”

He looked to see that a hero. He snapped out of his daze when he realized who he was looking at. Recovery Girl?!

“Midoriya-shonen?”

Izuku looked to see that All Might was at the otherside with his body wrapped in bandages. “Ah! Are you okay, All Might?”

“I was going to ask you that question,” All Might chuckled.

“Do you feel alright?” Recovery Girl questioned.

“My head just hurts that’s all,” Izuku replied. “I remember Kasumi telling me that I used to much of my...Quirks.”

“Ah yes,” Recovery Girl nodded. “It’s a surprise that you don’t have any injuries from the Quirk that All Might gave you.”

Recovery Girl seemed to have pointed a glare at the said hero. “Ah! Well Kasumi had been giving me a lot of good advice. If it weren’t for her I don’t think I’d be where I am now.”

Kasumi was probably still asleep, with how she was unresponsive. “She’s a really good friend of mine.”

“Well I do think you owe the rest of us an explanation.”

Izuku looked up to see that Aizawa was stepping through the doorway. “What exactly is your Quirk.”

“When we found Aizawa,” Recovery Girl informed. “We found him completely healed. He was healed by what seems to be a professional person with a healing quirk. No one there had a healing Quirk so we thought that the oddball would be you or this Kasumi that you speak so fondly about.”

Izuku rubbed the back of his head nervously and then agreed to explaining. He explained how Kasumi was from his natural quirk Soul Guardian. Her powers were solely reflected on all of Izuku’s traits, how they trained together by themselves without anyone else and polished their own unique techniques that seemed to give them an edge at USJ.

“And Kasumi is asleep right now?” Aizawa summarized.

“Yes,” Izuku nodded. “She got really exhausted after everything that happened so right now she’s inside me sleeping.”

Izuku tapped his chest and the teachers nodded in understanding.

“Well I must really thank this girl for saving you from a whole scenario of pain,” Recovery Girl said. “Take it easy tonight. I suppose you and Kasumi will be training together again with all that happened. Please hold off on that until tomorrow. There won’t be any school tomorrow.”

On that note, Izuku was driven home and Inko embraced him with open arms. “Oh, Izuku I was so worried!”

“I’m okay mom,” Izuku hugged her back. “If Kasumi wasn’t with me, then I would’ve have had no idea what to do.”

“How is she?” Inko pulled away.

“She’s sleeping right now,” Izuku replied. “She exhausted herself a lot.”

“Oh, I’m so happy that you two are okay,” Inko sighed. “I think you’re hungry. Let’s get you some food and have you go to bed early.”  
  
Izuku had retired early into the night, he was a bit unnerved from the silence and closed his eyes putting a hand over his chest. “Good night Kasumi.”

***  
  
The next morning Kasumi was waiting for him at the kitchen preparing lunch for the both of them. “Good morning, Izuku-sama! Have you had a fitful amount of sleep?”

“Yeah,” Izuku nodded. “Are we going out to train?”

“I was going to ask you first,” Kasumi said. “I wanted to make sure if you were willing. We went through a lot yesterday, if you’re not willing then I understand.”

“What happened at USJ just told us how much more training we need,” Izuku sighed pouring himself a glass of water and downing it. “We’ll need all the training we can get.”

Kasumi nodded and packed up the wrapped up pieces of the prepared lunch. “All right then Izuku. If you feel any fatigue please do not hesitate to tell me to stop.”

They were off into the morning air. The people went about in their daily business not aware of what had happened yesterday. Kasumi and Izuku jogged over to the park where they started the warm-up. Kasumi timed Izuku running around the center of the park and the results were a satisfying six minutes and thirty-seven seconds. They exercised the power that Kasumi channeled through over to Izuku. Doing push-ups while reading aloud the words from a book that Kasumi was holding from at least ten meters away. Others would’ve thought he was going nuts, or noticed Kasumi holding the book and being thoroughly impressed. A certain two-haired boy had been passing by and noticed Kasumi and Izuku training together. Kasumi had set up a dummy and Izuku was practicing his hand-to-hand combat. He kicked at the side, before ducking and landing an uppercut at the chin. Kasumi blowed a whistle signalling Izuku to repeat the procedure again.

“Ah! Todoroki-san. If you have something to say, please do not be afraid to say so.”

Izuku stopped to see that Todoroki Shouto from yesterday looked up Kasumi with a blank expression before walking up to them.

“What are you doing here?” Todoroki asked. Izuku flinched. He knew that Todoroki didn’t mean to be cold, but the tone of his voice sounded so bitter.

“Kasumi is helping me train,” Izuku replied motioning over to Kasumi who offered a small smile. “I could ask the same for you though.”

“I was just out here taking a walk,” Todoroki replied simply. His answer was so simplistic and devoid of any emotion to the point that Izuku neither Kasumi was unsure what else to say. Kasumi coughed before trying to go for a smile.

“Why don’t you join us in our other types of training? Something relaxing?”

Todoroki merely stared at Kasumi before giving one curt nod. They sat in a circle and they were meditating. Izuku was channeling One For All and was trying to hold the 5% cap for as long as he can. Kasumi was just sitting there cross-legged and she looked absolutely peaceful. She didn’t flinch when a pigeon flew down and perched on her head. Todoroki looked at the both of them. It was strange for the half-quirked boy. They seemed quite at peace after all that happened yesterday. Todoroki shivered unwillingly thinking back to how he had come home and Endeavor had yelled at him as to how he wasn’t the cause as to how he wasn’t the person who had managed to get half of the group in the Central Plaza. Rumor had gone out that a plain-looking boy had taken down at least half of the villain group at USJ with a girl. Todoroki was there to experience it with his own eyes. He wasn’t drawn to the both of them due to his father’s ambitions, rather curiosity as to how the two of them held such power and seemed to lead happy lives. Todoroki looked down at his left hand. He reminded himself of his vow, not to use his father’s quirk.

“Todoroki-san. Is something the matter?” Kasumi asked. He looked up to see that Kasumi and Izuku was looking at him worryingly.

“It’s nothing,” Todoroki replied curtly. “I was just thinking...are the two of you connected in some sort of way? You two share the same type of Quirk and you were at USJ...but not at U.A.”

Kasumi and Izuku jolted, Todoroki noted.

“It’s true that we are connected by a Quirk,” Kasumi nodded. “But, Izuku-sama’s Quirk is something we’re not willing to share in detail yet. Please understand our dilemma.”

Todoroki nodded. Izuku tried going for a smile. “So, Todoroki-san. How about we all get some ice cream or something?”

Todoroki blinked. “Sure…”

They had gone to a local ice cream truck and Kasumi had settled to Green Tea Ice Cream. Izuku with his Mint Chip. Todoroki just settled with a simple vanilla cone. They were walking about and Kasumi was chatting with Izuku in some sort of small talk about heroes before he noticed the words ‘secret place,’ ‘techniques,’ and ‘special moves.’ It had certainly piqued Todoroki’s interest but Izuku turned around to Todoroki and smiled apologetically. “Oh, sorry I forgot. Kasumi and I have some things that we have to take care of.”

“Oh, okay.”

They took off running and Izuku was running facing backwards waving enthusiastically before running into a lampost. Todoroki let out a snort, before he realized. It was a rare occasion to keep himself from laughing. Izuku was rubbing his head and Kasumi was fussing over him like a mother. They were strange, but certainly Todoroki decided, that they weren’t in the least bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hoped you guys liked this chapter as well! Anyways, I'll see you guys at the next chapter!! Hoped you enjoyed!


	5. Shenanigans in the USJ

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the attack on the USJ sprung by the League of Villains, Class 1-A find themselves at another dilemma. First the U.A. Sports Festival and going back to the USJ to continue their rescue training...except there's a surprise waiting for them at the building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're here at this chapter, I'm surprised and I'm really thankful that you managed to grit through the cringe of my writing and get all the way here! But! Here's this chapter and I hope y'all enjoy!!

The next day, Izuku had opened the door to Class 1-A and everyone was immediately around him.

“Deku-kun!”

“Midoriya!”

“Midoriya-san!”

“Are you okay?” Uraraka asked with concern laced in her voice.

“They said that you collapsed, kero,” Tsu said. “Something about Quirk Overexhaustion.”

“Guys,” Izuku said nervously. “I’m fine! Really I am!”

“Dude, you scared the shit out of us,” Kirishima trudged forward and looked at Izuku concerned. “When I saw you collapse I thought you were dead or something!”

“Really I’m fine!” Izuku insisted.

“I think you should all give him some room.”

Everyone to see that to everyone’s astonishment that it was Todoroki who spoke. Izuku looked at him gratefully and everyone filed down to their seats and Izuku went to his own seat. Bakugo didn’t seem to be in the best of moods.

“ _They really do care about you Izuku-sama_ ,” Kasumi observed softly. “ _It pains me to think that we all had to go through something scarring_.”

Izuku nodded in agreement and the door slid open. Aizawa-sensei stepped through and people were a bit surprised due to the lack of bandages or anything.

“Anyway, the fight isn’t over yet-“

“More villains?!” Mineta’s voice made Izuku jump. “Are you kidding me?” he wailed. Izuku shook his head, massaging his temple.

“Shut up, crybaby!” Bakugo yelled from in front of Izuku. Mineta shut his mouth.

“Like I was saying, the fight’s not over. It isn’t villains, Mineta. It’s the Sports Festival.”

“That’s even worse than villains!”

“Shut up!” Bakugo shot back. Mineta shut up again.

Aizawa droned on, nonchalant and unbothered. “The Sports Festival is approaching. The event is held in two weeks’ time. I’m sure you all know what it is, hopefully.”

Jiro’s hand shot up. “Sensei, don’t you think it’s a little dangerous to hold the festival after a villain attack?” A couple people winced.

“I agree,” Yaoyorozu added from the back of the room. “Especially so soon.”

“No. Yuuei has upped their security and will continue to do so. Pro heroes will be patrolling the outside of the stadium to ensure everyone’s safety.”

Aizawa sighed. “I’m not letting any of you sit it out, by the way, so don’t even think about it. This occurs once a year, three chances in your career at Yuuei for you to show off your quirk to heroes. The competition part of it is what usually has people wound up, but heroes use it as scouting purposes.”

Aizawa paused to yawn. “If you do well, the more heroes will notice you, and the higher chance they’ll send in something for your internships. Which will be happening shortly after the festival.”

The whole class buzzed with excitement about the good news. Hagakure was telling Ojiro and Shoji about how she was excited to be noticed by pros all across the world.

“I think you would have to try extra hard to be noticed, Hagakure-san,” Ojiro added quietly.

Aizawa waited for everyone to quiet down. “Now, onto matters of today...we’re going back to USJ.”

***

Before they went on the bus to go back to USJ, Aizawa had pulled Izuku aside. Others were a bit confused as to why the nonchalant teacher did, but before they could question it...they were glared down by Aizawa which kept them from saying anymore.

“Can you bring out Kasumi?”

Izuku blinked before nodding slowly. He tapped his chest once and he glowed pale green before Kasumi alighted next to him. “Is there anything that I can be of assistance, Aizawa-sensei?”

“I need you to be a mock supervisor today,” Aizawa crossed his arms. “If everything you said was true, then we’ll need Kasumi there firsthand instead of popping out of nowhere to not raise suspicion if there’s another villain attack.”

Kasumi and Izuku shared a glance before nodding at the pro hero. “We’ll do our best.”

People were a bit surprised when Kasumi came out and they asked for her name and stuff.

“Class,” Aizawa said holding out a hand to Kasumi. “This is Kasumi. Izuku’s older cousin. As some of you know, she was here at USJ two days ago by pure luck and held out until the pro heroes came. She’s here today in case there’s anything that goes wrong and will help us supervise all of you.”

Kasumi dipped her head in respect and the people went about on their usual chatter.

“I didn’t know you had an older cousin!” Kaminari placed his chin above Izuku’s seat and looked down at the both of them. “She looks really pretty.”

“Thank you,” Kasumi turned around with a smile on her face...except people could feel the scary aura emanating from her. “It’s very nice to meet you too, Kaminari-san.”

In other words, Kasumi was saying to back off and don’t touch her in a nice tone. Kaminari shrunk away before Uraraka piped up. “Kasumi-san! What’s your Quirk? Deku-kun’s Quirk is also really amazing!”

“Well,” Kasumi tapped a finger to her lips. “Izuku-sama...Izuku’s quirk is quite similar to my own, but I have the ability to weaken others. Izuku’s works in a way that strengthens himself.”

Kasumi shot an apologetic look at Izuku and he shook his head slightly telling her that it was fine.

“Your Quirks compliment each other, kero,” Tsu nodded in agreement. “Is that why you two fought together at USJ like that?”

“Yes,” Kasumi nodded lying easily. “I had spent a lot of time training Izuku-sa...I really do hope that you all take him well.”

The others shook their heads and shared stories about how Izuku was the one of the class that felt comfortable and smiled a lot. Izuku had to try hard from laughing. If only they knew that Kasumi was there the whole time. They arrived at USJ at almost the same time before and the same gaping hole that All Might made a few days prior was still there...unrepaired. They entered the building and Thirteen was at the same place waiting for them patiently.

“Welcome back Class 1-A! I hope you’re all doing well after everything’s that happened before!”

Everyone looked at Thirteen questioning as to how he made a full recovery. “Thirteen-sensei. Shouldn’t you be staying at the hospital after all that two days ago?” Uraraka asked with a concerned tone.

“Ah! Don’t worry about me!” Thirteen replied immediately. “My back only hurts a little bit. Aizawa-sensei on the other hand went through a lot worse.”

Aizawa walked forward and then turned around to face the class. “All right then. We’ll continue the rescue classes like we planned to.”

“What about All Might?” Izuku asked. “He wasn’t here before so should he be here today?”

Aizawa turned around and started walking ahead. “Don’t worry about him.”

Kasumi pressed her lips to a thin line. Izuku didn’t need her observation skills to know what she was thinking. All Might and Eraserhead must’ve somehow stepped on the wrong foot...what was going on between the two of them?

***

They were at the mountain area where Kaminari, Yaoyorozu, and Jirou shuddered from unpleasant memories. Thirteen went immediately into explaining how to do the exercise. There were going to be three people there were going to act like injured at the bottom of a very deep chasm in the cliff. There would be four others that would have to do a mock rescue mission to get the three of them out. The three people would consist of: one who couldn’t move their legs, one who was unconscious, and finally one who was worried and extremely hysterical and traumatized. The first three to be rescued were Izuku, Uraraka, and Iida. The four to rescue them were Tokoyami, Yaoyorozu, Todoroki, and Kacchan.

“Why do I have to save fucking DEKU???!!” he yelled. Kasumi sighed...this was going to be extremely endearing. “You know what we can just blow up the cliff and get them out!”

“No,” Yaoyorozu replied immediately.

Todoroki nodded in agreement. “Yaoyorozu, you make a pulley. Tokoyami, you’ll go down and get them out of there. The three of us will stay here and pull them up.”

“DON’T FUCKING IGNORE ME ICYHOT!!!”

“You should put aside such emotions as those. They’ll get in the way,” Todoroki said coldly. Irk marks began to be etched on his forehead. He stalked forward and angrily grabbed Todoroki by the collar.

“What the fuck are you talking about Half and Half Bastard!”

He immediately tossed his arm aside and Todoroki glared at him coldly. “I have no time to waste and I want to pass the assignment. If you want to play games, go somewhere else.”

“Look who’s the one playing games,” Kacchan retorted angrily under his breath.

“The both of you stop!”

Everyone looked at Yaoyorozu and she glared at the both of them and didn’t even think about backing down. “You’re not doing anything properly!”

She walked to the edge and went on her hands and knees. She poked her head over the cliff and looked down at the trio at the bottom of the cliff. “Please do not worry! We’re on our way and we will get you out!”

“Thank you very much, heroes!” Iida yelled back. He was the hysterical one, while Izuku was gripping his leg tenderly. Uraraka was the unconscious one, since she was laying on the floor with her eyes closed, though she wasn’t doing a good job since her frame was shaking at how hard she was laughing. Yaoyorozu looked back up at the two males who were fighting.

“In certain situations we cannot act due to how dangerous it is so the best we can do is to provide emotional support to make sure that they keep their sanity and have their faith in us!”

“Impressive,” Sero muttered.

“Impressive indeed,” Mineta agreed rubbing his chin with his fingers. He was staring at Yaoyorozu pervertedly and drool was dribbling out of the corner of his mouth.

“You’re trash,” the whole class deadpanned.

Todoroki had coated the cliff side with ice and they were feeding the pulley rope slowly, and Tokoyami was going down step by step to make sure that he didn’t fall. He finally made it to the ground and assessed the scenario despite knowing what the details of the exercise.

“We’ll bring the unconscious one first,” he said. They placed Uraraka on the makeshift stretcher and Tokoyami summoned Dark Shadow as he carried him Uraraka up. Izuku gushed over how impressive Tokoyami’s Dark Shadow was...even though he had a Quirk rather similar to his.

The others marveled as how Kacchan had obediently pulled up the rope without much a fight...and the fact that he wasn’t using his Quirk was also a surprise as well.

“All of you are doing wonderfully!” Thirteen appraised. “Sometimes in this modern society you will face difficult situation where your Quirk is not suited for such work! Performing your duty in a fairly ‘normal’ way will be physically taxing, but it is necessary.”

“It’s a surprise that Bakugo isn’t using his Quirk, kero,” Asui observed.

“Yes!” Thirteen nodded. “He will make a beautiful hero!”

Everyone looked at him for a second before Sero piped up. “There’s nothing beautiful about him.”

“I’m gonna kill him,” Bakugo grumbled under his breath angrily.

The other two were brought up and soon it was Izuku, Uraraka’s, and Ojiro's turn to rescue three others. Uraraka touched Tsu’s shoulder and she was lifted into the air before Uraraka pressed her fingers together. She was released out of the anti-gravity into Izuku’s hands and Ojiro nodded. They had passed the exercise as well.

***

“Alright!” Thirteen announced. “We will be at the city area! We’ll be here to stimulate a search and rescue mission almost the same as reality. There can be very strange scenarios where you have to adapt quickly! There will be sixteen of you hiding and four of you will look around and try to find all of them before the time limit!”

The four people chosen were Izuku, Uraraka, Mineta, and Kacchan.

“Why do I have to be paired up with fucking Deku!”

Izuku cowered away from Bakugo’s sudden outburst. Mineta on the other hand was drooling. “So when we rescue people we can touch girl’s boobs and asses?!”

“Mineta, you’re forbidden from touching or carrying anyone,” Izuku deadpanned. The greenette looked up to see that Kasumi was walking in his direction.

“Well,” Kasumi said. “I’ll be accompanying you Izuku-sama.”

Izuku nodded gratefully and everyone to hide, was given two minutes in total to hide. Once the two minutes were finally up… “Alright everyone! Let’s…”

“I don’t need to listen to you, Deku!!!”

Everyone was buffeted away from Bakugo as he let out his explosions and soared through the air. Izuku shielded his face before turning to the other two remaining. “Well...Kacchan’s gone off on his own. Let’s all split up and find as many people as possible!”

“Right!”

The four of them split ways as Kasumi went along with Izuku dutifully. They had found Ojiro first and Izuku called down. “You okay Ojiro?”

“Yeah, I’m fine!” the tailed boy replied. Izuku looked at the Soul Guardian and she nodded. Izuku concentrated and pressed his palms outwards. The wind picked up around Ojiro, before it carried him up and Izuku’s bottom lip quivered from the effort. Ojiro was finally placed on the ground safely and he brought a thumbs up.

“Let’s go find the others,” Kasumi nodded. Though...it was for naught. They both perked up as they heard Iida yelling something from far away.

“Run! There’s a villain!”

The both of them froze...before wind erupted outwards and decimated the mock city. Izuku grabbed onto Kasumi’s staff and tried to keep himself from flying off from the force of the air. They looked up to see that there was a large buff villain with some sort of military outfit and a horned mask on.

“Thirteen-sensei!” Kaminari was yelling and running in the distance. “Aizawa-sensei! There’s a villain!”

“I won’t be able fight,” Aizawa replied. “I can’t strain my Quirk or it will have dire consequences.”

“I’m sorry,” Thirteen replied. “But I’m not in any state to fight. All of you run to the exit!”

Kasumi stood up and looked at the man who was currently fighting Bakugo with one hand...and her breath was caught in her throat. “Kasumi? What’s wrong?”

He stood up and he froze. “T-Todoroki?!”

The bicolor haired boy was limp as he was hung by the villain’s hand.

“Izuku-sama,” Kasumi whispered.

“I know,” Izuku replied. They tensed up and the wind picked up around them. Ojiro took a step back as he watched the both of them rocket forward with the wind carrying them forwards. The others finally gathered their wits and began to attacking as well.

Sero released his tape as Momo created a cannon that deployed something similar to a fish net. They wrapped around the villain and the close combaters sprinted forward to engage in a fight with the villain. He burst the bindings that kept him in place, wind erupted outwards knocking everyone backwards.

“Kasumi?” Izuku shielded his face struggling to get up. The both of them were hit by the might of the villain’s move.

“The air maximizes his damage,” Kasumi stood up and she turned to Izuku. “We’ll need to make sure that he cannot influence the air anymore.”

“Mineta! Uraraka! Asu-Tsu-chan! I have a plan!”

He told the others his plan and they nodded getting ready. Izuku nodded and Kasumi handed him the staff. One For All: Full Cowling was deployed throughout his body as he rocketed forwards. The villain barely managed to block Bakugo’s hit before Izuku had charged forward ruthlessly. He swung the staff upwards and hit the guy’s wrist before drawing back and hitting in quick succession. Kasumi sprinted forward and then leaped highly in the air. “Izuku-sama!”

“Here!” Izuku threw up the staff. He flicked his fingers and the wind carried him backwards. Kasumi grabbed her staff and then began to spin in the air with surprising mobility.

“Heaven’s Tower!”

A tornado was conjured around her and kept the villain from doing any damage with air. Izuku slapped hands with Uraraka before Tsu wrapped her tongue around Izuku’s stomach. “ASUI-SAN!”

“Please call me Tsu,” Tsu said in her monotone voice before launching him forward. In his hand was one of Mineta’s purple balls. While the villain was distracted with the windstorm Kasumi was creating, he smashed the orb against Todoroki’s vest and continued flying before skidding to a halt and putting him down gently. He raised a hit before punching forward. A flurry of wind erupted forwards and the villain lifted his arms in an X position. The wind was rendered useless even as Bakugo appeared out of nowhere and created his most massive explosion. It wasn’t enough. Kasumi finally alighted next to Izuku and sprinted forward. She slashed the air two times and the wind bent to her command cutting through the air dangerously. The villain just managed to block it, but Kasumi stopped before twirling her staff in front of her.

“Celadon Whirlwind!”

A hurricane spiraled forward and was finally enough to push the villain backwards. He hit some shrapnel which was completely covered with Mineta’s balls. The villain was rendered immobile as all the others advance on him.

“W-Wait!”

He immediately slammed his mask against one of the balls and then pulled it off…

“ALL MIGHT!!!”

The No. 1 hero was there and his same smile was still plastered on his face...but it was there at the wrong time and place.

“I AM HERE! I WAS GOING TO SEE IF YOU…”

The pro hero stopped when he noticed all the people glaring at him. “Ah...I’m sorry everyone.”

Everyone started yelling and screaming and they took their turns on beating up All Might. Kasumi and Izuku took steps back and tried avoiding the whole conflict in complete entirety.

***

The lunch bell rang. Today’s morning classes had been bordering to the point of traumatizing.

Uraraka and Iida approached Izuku. “Hey, Deku-kun? Ready for lunch?” Uraraka asked, bouncy as ever. Izuku and Iida’s eyes met and he laughed.

“Yes.”

Izuku followed the others as they made their way to lunch. “Hey, Iida-kun,” Uraraka stopped to face the boy in question. “How come you wanna be a hero?”

Iida adjusted his glasses and smiled proudly. Izuku stopped close to Uraraka, his curiosity piqued as well.

“Well,” Iida started, and Izuku already knew this was probably going to be long-winded. “I wanted to be a hero because of my brother, Ingenium. I want to be a cool hero that is able to save the day no matter what. I want others to look up to me and be able to rely on me.” Iida stood tall and smiled.

“What about you, Uraraka-kun?”

“O-oh, me?” Uraraka shifted her weight and smiled nervously. “Don’t think I’m selfish, but...I want to be a hero for money. Not just for money, I mean! I want to be able to support my parents when I grow up and I want to be able to see them have a good life when I’m an adult.” Uraraka scratched the back of her head.

“There’s nothing selfish about that, Uraraka-san,” Izuku added. Iida nodded in agreement.

“Right! Wanting to do something so generous is the opposite of selfish!” Iida did his little hand gestures as he spoke. Uraraka smiled brightly at both of them.

“Thanks, guys!” She pointed at Izuku. “What about you, Deku-kun? Why do you-“

“YOUNG MIDORIYA!” All Might’s voice boomed through the mostly empty hall. The three of them turned around to look for the man. All Might was leaning out of the staff break room.

“Wanna eat lunch?” he asked, holding his bag of food. The two others glared at him from the events that transpired before.

“E-eh? Lunch?” Izuku cried. All Might nodded, grin wide. Izuku turned to his friends. “I-I’m so-“

Iida cut him off with an approving nod. “It’s fine, Midoriya-kun.”

“Is there something you need?” Izuku asked. They entered a room and Kasumi drifted out of Izuku’s chest and reappeared next to him.

“Quite observant,” All Might nodded. “You must’ve heard about the U.A. Sports Festival?”

“We were planning it would the time where we would reveal Izuku’s Quirk,” Kasumi nodded. “It took a long time to think about, but we came to the consensus.”

Izuku nodded in agreement, and All Might sighed.

“You have One For All relatively under control, but not completely right?”

“Yes,” Izuku nodded. “I have Kasumi to thank for that. Though I can only keep it at 5%. Like an egg that’s kept from bursting in a microwave.”

All Might was taken aback from the sudden analogy. Izuku continued rambling on. “If I lose concentration though and go over it, I think I might injure myself. That’s why I was thinking that I would use Kasumi’s power with me as well...would it be fair to have her at the Sports Festival?”

All Might chuckled. “She’s part of your Quirk. I’ve already explained to the rest of the board along with Aizawa-sensei. They’ll allow it and provide coverage to anyone who’s asking about it.”

Kasumi nodded. “Though I suppose you called Izuku-sama here for another reason.”

“To be frank, I don’t exactly have a lot of time left as the Symbol of Peace. At the USJ, I pushed my limits again, and my time decreased. I can only stay in muscle form for about an hour, give or take.”

“An hour?” Izuku questioned timidly.

“I’m afraid so.” All Might faced the window. “That’s why at the festival, I want you to tell everyone ‘I am here!’ Midoriya Izuku, you are my successor. You will pick up on where I left off.”

All Might turned to face him. “I want you to show the world you’re here. I want you to tell everyone that you, Midoriya Izuku, have arrived. Can you do that?”

Izuku nodded jerkily.

It’s alright. Why? Because I am here!

He could do that...Definitely.


	6. The Sports Festival Begins!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The U.A. Sports Festival has finally arrived! With the annual event for the prestigious school kicking off, Kasumi and Izuku strangely finds themselves at odds with Todoroki Shouto, and determined to show off their best and tell the world, that 'I-no We are here!'

Two weeks with dedicated training, the U.A. Sports Festival finally came around. To say there was a lot of people was an understatement. By the time he had gotten into his class’ waiting room, Izuku had been stopped by at least 13 reporters.

Izuku sat with Iida and Uraraka in the waiting room. It was nerve wracking, especially since so many people were going to be watching them.

“Geez,” Uraraka groaned. “Will we really be able to do our best under so much pressure?”

Iida uncharacteristically shrugged. “I believe the work of a hero should include knowing how to act even under pressure,” he informed. Izuku sighed. His heart had been racing since he stepped foot out of his house. Kasumi was there to calm him down and give hima decent pep talk, but he was still extremely nervous.

“What about you, Deku-kun? Do you think you’ll do okay?” Uraraka asked, leaning on the table. Izuku shrugged, letting his head fall. “No idea. I’ve trained a lot, but I don’t know if it was enough.”

“You’ll do fine, silly!”

“Midoriya.”

Izuku picked his head back up, whirling around to face whoever called his name. Todoroki stood in front of him, hands in his pockets. “Todoroki-kun? O-oh, hello?”

Todoroki didn’t return his friendliness. “If we’re speaking in a literal sense, I believe that I’m stronger than you.”

Kasumi was greatly confused as well as Izuku. They stared up at him in confusion and Izuku tilted his head. “Okay...I’m not certain where you’re going with this.”

Todoroki’s frown deepened at that. “Even though I’m stronger than you, you’re the one with the connection to All Might.”

Izuku’s brow furrowed. He had to come up with a lie, quick. “I-I...All Might? Seriously? I don’t-“

“I won’t pry about that. It isn’t my business. But I’ll beat you today.”

Kaminari laughed. “Is Todoroki seriously picking a fight with Midoriya, of all people?”

Kirishima whacked him and stood up.

“Hey, don’t you think we shouldn’t be doing this now?” Kirishima in between them, trying to mediate the tension. “Todoroki, come on man, it’s-!”

“I’m not here to be any of your friends.”

Todoroki took one last look at Izuku, and turned to sit back down.

“W-wait, Todoroki-kun!” Todoroki stopped, steely gaze meeting Izuku’s nervous one. “I...I’m not sure why you picked a fight with me. I’m not the strongest here. I’m nowhere near that title, actually. But...I’m going to do my best out there today. I say the same for everyone, too...students from other courses are gonna give it all they’ve got! I-I’ll beat you too, Todoroki-kun!”

Kirishima laid a hand on Izuku’s shoulder, reassuring. Todoroki looked the both of them over once again. “Yeah.” The boy went to sit back down. Izuku looked up to Kirishima.

“Thanks, Kirishima-kun.” Kirishima shot him a toothy grin and ruffled his hair. “We’re bros, aren’t we?”

“ _Kasumi?_ ”

“ _I don’t know what’s going on with Todoroki...but we shouldn’t back down should we? We’ll show him and give our best!_ ”

***

Present Mic introduced all the people onto the stage...and the top examinee of 1-A had to come up and do his pledge. Everyone was angered when Bakugo gave his speech on how he was going to be the top 1 and the others were mere extras. The other classes were extremely angered and Izuku took in a deep breath. He was having jitters. Kasumi assured him repeatedly that they would do great.

Midnight cracked her whip in irritation. “Listen up, everybody! The first round will be a qualifier!” A screen popped up behind Midnight. “The first game is...an obstacle course!”

Midnight pointed to the screen, which showed an animation of someone running around a circle. “You’ll run around the entire stadium, that’s four kilometers! That’s not all though! It is an obstacle course, isn’t it?” The hero licked her lips.

“The first 42 back will participate in the next round! But as long you stay on the course, it really doesn’t matter how you go about it!”

Midnight cracked her whip once more. “The starting line is over there!” She pointed to the tall, narrow opening that lead to the outside of the stadium. “Everyone gather around over there! On my mark, you’ll run like hell!” She cackled.

***

Everyone was set into a building of sorts and Izuku concentrated on Kasumi’s winds and on channeling One For All through his body. He readied himself and the doors opened signalling for them to start running. Izuku ran forward and then leaped. The wind rocketing him forward and in front of the crowd that was struggling to get out. With green electricity crackling around him, and the tailwind backing him up, Izuku was pulling up ahead and he continued sprinting. He knew that Todoroki was sprinting behind him trying to catch up, but they were at the first obstacle course.

The same robots from the enrollment exam. The wind propelled Izuku upwards over the wall of robots and he continued to sprint as if he hadn’t jumped at least 20 meters. The crowd was going wild as Izuku continued to sprint. The air was cold and he knew that Todoroki was hot on his heels. They got to the second obstacle course quickly. A giant pit with different earthen pillars were spread out. Izuku paused gathering up pressure on the wind below him. By the time Todoroki finally caught up to him, Izuku leaped, the wind pushing him forward. Kasumi was cheering him on relentlessly as he continued the arc high above the pit. The others were watching in awe as Izuku finally landed on the other side and he continued running.

The next was a field of landmines. This was where he could show off a little move that he had worked on with Kasumi. He fashioned the air around him like a hamsterball and he sprinted forward and the hamsterball kept him from setting off any bombs.

“Get back here IcyHot! Deku!”

Deku craned his neck backwards to see that Kacchan was soaring through the air towards him and Todoroki who was only a few meters behind him.

“Kasumi how many bombs!”

“ _20!_ ” Kasumi replied. Izuku pushed down with all his might and the air pressure increased on the ground setting off a bunch of bombs at once. The other two were blinded but Todoroki was the first to recover. Though he was too late. Izuku was soaring through the air sending gust after gust to boost his way over to the entrance of the stadium. He finally landed and he wasted no time sprinting.

“MIDORIYA FROM CLASS A IS THE FIRST ONE TO MAKE IT BACK!!!!”

The crowd went up in cheers and Izuku beamed.

***

“Now, onto the next round! This is where it’s at, everyone! Give it your best!” Midnight cracked her whip, standing in front of the screen. “The second game! I already know what it is, by the way! What is it? What could it be?”

Midnight twirled and laughed. “The second game is a cavalry battle!”

“Calvary battle?” Ashido murmured. “How would that work?”

“Let me explain first!” Midnight turned to the screen. “You’re all going to form teams of two to four people. Whoever you want! It’s the same thing as a normal calvary battle, but this time, it’s a point-based system!” Kaminari groaned.

“Your points depend on what you placed in the last round. Each of you have different points depending on where you stand! For example, last place is 5, 41st is 10, 40th is 15, and so on and so forth! The catch is...”

Midnight turned back to the first years, licking her lips. “First place is worth ten million points!” The hero laughed. Kasumi and Izuku paled.

Izuku’s jaw dropped. “T-ten million? N-no, what...?”

The crowd of students turned to face Izuku. All their eyes pointed hungrily to him, as if he was prey. Menacing stares and annoying looks made Izuku feel like he was going to spontaneously combust. He would prefer that right now, actually.

“Ten million is right, darling! It’s survival of the fittest here! Those at the bottom now have a chance to become the top! It’s truly a fight to the death, isn’t it?!”

Midnight cracked her whip twice. “Listen up! You have fifteen minutes to form a team and strategize! Good luck!”

Izuku ended up making a team with Tokoyami, Hatsume Mei from the Support Class, and Uraraka. Mei suggested giving Izuku a jet pack, but he politely declined. He would be fine with Full Cowling and Kasumi. Uraraka would make all of them weightless, Mei and Uraraka both had boosters so they could trajectory. Tokoyami was on guard and fetch duty, while on the other hand Izuku focused on mobility and added defense. He had fashioned the same aerial hamster ball around the four of them and the game had started.

“Mei!” Izuku called. “We have Shoji coming up Starboard!”

“Time to use my babies!” She pushed with enough strength for them to swerve and Izuku noticed a hint of pink.

“Tokoyami! Dark Shadow on stern!”

“Right!” He answered without hesitating. Dark Shadow came out of his body and blocked Tsu’s tongue which darted out and threatened to get Izuku’s band.

“Get back here Izuku!” Mineta called. They were pulling away from them, but explosions popped in the air.

“Deku-kun! Port side!” Uraraka warned. He looked up to see that Kacchan was flying after him.

“Give me the Ten Million Deku!”

He reached forward but his hands scraped against the wind barrier and Izuku pushed outwards sending Kacchan flying the way he came from. His team seemed pretty annoyed with how Kacchan was targeting Izuku, but his headband was quickly snagged by Monoma from Class 1-B. They definitely did not know what was going to come.

“Yaoyorozu!!”

That was Todoroki’s voice! Izuku turned to see that there was a thick white blanket, that Momo created, flew up into the air before coming down over them. Lightning sparked and Izuku’s eyes widened.

“Uraraka! Mei! Go upwards!”

They both pushed upwards with the boosters and Izuku added in the wind along with that as well. They had gotten out of the way before lightning had raced everywhere paralyzing almost everyone. It was followed up immediately by ice that had trapped them as well. Todoroki went on ahead and took their bands before charging straight for Izuku.

“Midoriya.” Todoroki’s usual aloof voice called to him. His team cornered Izuku’s, allowing no way for them to run freely. Izuku took a deep breath.

“I’ll be taking that ten million now.”

“ _Stay diligent Izuku-sama!_ ” Kasumi warned. Izuku nodded to the Soul Guardian’s advice and glared down Todoroki.

“Kasumi, if you can we’ll need less other distractions.”

Kasumi, even inside Izuku’s heart summoned her power and a whirlwind picked up around the two teams trapping them inside.

“WHAT’S THIS???!!! TEAM MIDORIYA HAD TRAPPED BOTH HIS TEAM AND TEAM TODOROKI INSIDE??!!!!”

The light emitting from Iida’s legs didn’t go unnoticed by Kasumi and Izuku and they tensed.

“Tokoyami, Uraraka, Mei,” Izuku said lowly. “On my mark go backwards into the whirlwind at top speed. They nodded and didn’t question him.

“Five.”

Iida’s engines began bursting with energy.

“Four.”

A small opening in the whirlwind was charging straight behind Team Midoriya.

“Three.”

Team Todoroki held on tight to Iida as he tensed.

“Two.”

Izuku was enveloped with One For All: Full Cowling as he raised a hand in a flicking position.

“ONE! NOW!”

Iida burst forward. “Reciprico Burst!”

Izuku flicked the air and was boosted backwards as the others did their best and passed the opening in the whirlwind. Iida had to stop immediately to avoid crashing into the wind barrier.

“They…,” Iida looked up at the wall in awe. “Saw through me!”

“No time!” Todoroki said as icicles burst forward piercing through the wind gale. The bi-colored boy grudgingly admired Izuku’s quick thinking...but he was talking to Kasumi again, when she wasn’t there. The gale dispersed and he didn’t expect to see Izuku flying into the air along with the others. The wind supported them and carried them upwards. Unlike the deep emerald aura, Izuku was shrouded in before, a pale green aura took its place. His jaw was set in concentration and determination as he continued on.

Thanks, to Uraraka’s Quirk, it wasn’t hard to accomplish the feat, but Izuku was struggling with the power output. The final countdown came and Izuku landed a safe distance away from Todoroki.

“TIME IS UP!!”

Everyone cheered as Izuku was still on the top of the scoreboard.

“We did it!” Uraraka cheered. Mei was laughing maniacally and was writing on a handheld notebook her new inspired ideas.

“ _Izuku-sama! We’re at the top! ...Izuku-sama?_ ”

The greenette in question was sobbing and wiping his eyes profusely and the others in his team looked up at him. “Y-Yeah! We d-did it!”

***

Todoroki watched solemnly and Iida was apologizing profusely. “I apologize for not telling you anything about this. My reckless actions costed us precious time and our chance.”

“It’s fine,” Momo said assuredly. “We all didn’t see Izuku using that whirlwind as a scapegoat to escape. He’s really clever that one.”

“You did well,” Todoroki said. He usually kept his words short and brief. “He caught us all off guard.”

“I was really looking forward to celebrating with that ten million,” Kaminari sighed. “But, seeing as how Izuku fooled us all, well that’s pretty much expected of him.”

Todoroki nodded. Izuku was pretty much a goal now...a goal to surpass.

***

They were gathered in the locker rooms for the break, and everyone was patting Izuku on the back and praising him for what he did.

“You looked straight through my plan,” Iida bowed. “As expected of you Midoriya-san.”

“Ah!” Izuku shook his hands in denial. “It was just a stroke of luck. I saw you powering up, so I thought you were a threat. Making me think you were a threat, well you did really well! I hope we can get stronger together!”

Iida nodded dutifully, but Todoroki walked up to Izuku. “Midoriya, a word.”

Izuku blinked and Kasumi urged him to follow. Todoroki led him to an empty hallway, far away from prying ears. The boy stood against the wall, staring down a nervous Izuku.

They were silent for two whole minutes.

“Todoroki-kun? Is there something you needed me for?” Izuku bit out, annoyed. Todoroki dropped eye contact and gazed outside, almost wistfully.

“The connection between you and All Might.”

“There is no c-connection!” Izuku shot back, embarrassed. He knew that it was only a matter of time before someone noticed, but they hadn’t made it too obvious, had they?

“Back then, when you trapped out teams in that whirlwind. The power I felt when you flew away...I felt that same power with All Might.” Todoroki narrowed his eyes in accusation, pointing daggers at Izuku. Kasumi held her breath along with Izuku.

“I have a question, Midoriya.”

Izuku gulped, taking a deep breath. “Are you All Might’s secret love child?”

Silence...then immediate laughter. Kasumi was giggling and Izuku was laughing, clutching his sides.

“Am I what?!” Izuku cried. He pointed to his face. “Do you really think that, Todoroki-kun? I’m fl-flattered, but it’s nothing like that! He-he’s our teacher!”

Todoroki scoffed, but didn’t press the issue. He turned the topic back to himself. “I’m sure you know my father, Endeavor...”

***

Kasumi and Izuku had nothing to say after hearing Todoroki’s testimony. Endeavor, sure he was the No. 2 Hero, but he didn’t expect him to be this type of person at his own household.

“You and Kasumi,” Todoroki continued. “The both of you are the closest to being as powerful as All Might. That’s why I’m going to beat you, and then Kasumi next.”

Kasumi sucked in a shallow breath. On that note, Todoroki left and walked out of the hallway, but Izuku stopped him. “Todoroki-kun. I don’t know how much pain you felt during that, I can’t experience it since, I’m not you. But, I’m nothing compared to All Might. Kasumi would agree with me too. Back then, when you came to us, you didn’t come just for your father’s ambitions did you? I don’t know what your motive is...heck I don’t even _know_ you, but one thing’s for sure. I’ll show you, when we face off each other, that you’re not your father’s pawn.”

Todoroki took a look at Izuku’s determined face before turning on his heel.

“Kasumi.”

“ _Yes, Izuku-sama?_ ”

“When we fight him...when he’s at his full power, let’s show him what _we_ can do.”

***

Midnight stood up on the stage again. She held a box that contained each of the sixteen participants’ names. She would pull two at a time, and the two who were pulled faced off.

“Now, for the first match-“

“Excuse me!” Ojiro’s hand shot up meekly. “I’d like to withdraw.”

The crowd of students turned to face Ojiro with a gasp.

“Ojiro-kun?” Izuku fretted. “Withdrawing?”

Ojiro let his arm fall. “I don’t really remember anything from the cavalry battle. I don’t really think I did anything either. I shouldn’t be here if I didn’t do anything to win. I...I think it was that guy’s quirk.” Ojiro gestured towards a tall boy with purple hair.

Another boy with blue hair raised his hand. “I feel the same.”

Midnight weighed the options mentally. She thought for a moment, and then cracked her whip with a smile. “Talk like that? It’s wonderful, I love it! I allow both of you two withdraw!” The short boy with blue hair sighed in relief.

“But because of that, we need two people to jump in. Who should it be?”

A girl from class B, who Izuku recognized as Kendo, suggested they should have people who worked hard during the cavalry battle. They decided on Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki from class B.

Midnight brought the bracket for the finals on the screen.

“ _Izuku-sama! Look!_ ”

He had the first match against someone named Shinso Hitoshi. “Shinso...?” he muttered, scratching his head.

“You’re Midoriya Izuku, right?” The sound of someone speaking his name startled him. Izuku turned around to face the source of the voice. “I’m facing you. Shinso. I’m excited for the first match.” Shinso grinned in an unsettling way.

Izuku nodded hesitantly. “Oh, me-“ A tail blocked his mouth.

“Don’t talk to him, Midoriya,” Ojiro warned. The tail retracted, and Shinso walked away.

“Ojiro-kun? Are you okay?”

Ojiro sighed. “Come with me. I need to tell you about him.”

***

All Might had stopped Izuku at the hallway and they conversed a little bit. They came to the consensus, with Kasumi not to use his full power.

Izuku strode onto the stage and Shinso appeared from the opposite side.

“ _Izuku-sama. Please take into note what Ojiro-san said_.”

Kasumi’s advice was taken into account as Izuku clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly.

“READY!”

“Giving up, huh?” Shinso muttered from across Izuku. “Almost like that monkey earlier, going on and on about how he couldn’t do it because of his pride.”

“GO!!!”  
  
Izuku didn’t answer walking forwards. Shinso seemed a bit desperate as he spouted insult after insult, even going to how he was told to have a villain’s quirk. Izuku was tempted to answer so many times, but Kasumi always reprimanded him for even moving his lips. He shoved Shinso backwards and he faltered.

“Now listen here,” Izuku hissed under his breath. “I don’t know what the heck you went through. I feel sorry I really am. But I had to hide my quirk because my Quirk was so rare. Something that could be targeted by villains.”

“You…”

Izuku snapped his leg upwards and kicked Shinso on the side, effectively shutting him up. “I was called fucking Quirkless and was backstabbed by a former childhood friend. But you know what? I took it all in and kept on going forward. What are you doing? You’re cowering like a coward and you’re not making the change to become respected.”

“Why-?”

“Enough talking for you!” Izuku sent an uppercut on Shinso’s stomach. “You’re quirk is cool. It’s versatile and you can rescue people without harming them! It’s a truly wonderful Quirk!”

Shinso was at a loss for words and Izuku continued on stepping forwards as Shinso kept on walking backwards. “But! Are you doing something truly heroic for people to recognize you? Shinso you have a lot of potential, you just need to work for it. It’s not a villain’s quirk! It’s a hero’s quirk!”

Shinso finally took a step back stumbling and falling onto the ground. Midnight cracked her whip. “Shinso Hitoshi is out of bonds! The winner is Midoriya Izuku!”

Shinso looked around and Izuku held out a hand. “We’re at U.A. We all have to go and try to reach Plus Ultra! Enough dedication and work will get you anywhere. That’s what I truly believe. Your Quirk isn’t what defines you! What you do with the Quirk is what matter most!”

Shinso stopped and then there was slightest of smiles that was painted on his expression. He took Izuku’s hand hesitantly and shook it. Midnight called to the both of them. “Hey get out of the field!”

“Sorry!” Izuku called.

Midoriya quickly scrambled off and Shinso stopped him. “Midoriya.”

“Yes?” Izuku asked looking back at Shinso. There was a small smile on his face.

“Thanks.”

Izuku beamed and sprinted off the field. Kasumi sighed in relief. At least they advanced to the Quarterfinals.


	7. The Tempest of the Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The U.A. Sports Festival continues and after Todoroki's testimony shared with Izuku, he's determined to show the male the light at the end of the tunnel. Facing off each other in the battlefield, Todoroki will hear once again...the monumental words his mother had spoke to him long before.

The next match was Todoroki and Sero. Izuku sat between Tokoyami and Iida.

“READY?!” Sero seemed to be saying something to Todoroki, but the half and half boy ignored him.

“START!”

Sero didn’t hold back, shooting tape as soon as the match started. The tape whirled around Todoroki, trapping his arms shut. Sero used his tape to move Todoroki around the ring, playing with him as if he were a toy.

“Todoroki isn’t doing anything...?” Izuku wondered aloud, focusing totally on the match. It appeared that the boy was making no move to stop Sero, allowing himself to be thrown around the arena like a doll.

Todoroki’s head snapped up, staring straight into Sero’s soul. The sound of ice crackling and crystallizing took over the whole stadium, and soon, everyone was freezing.

Todoroki had been flying around the stadium in a makeshift tape trap one moment. The next, he had formed a glacier so large it descended over the top of the stadium and even pointed into the crowd. Sero was unlucky enough to be caught in the cold contraption.

Midnight, who was half frozen and shivering, turned to Sero. “Can you move, Sero-kun?”

The only part of Sero that wasn’t encased in ice was his head. “O-of c-course not...!” Sero shivered, his teeth clacking loudly.

“Todoroki-kun wins!” Midnight announced, cracking her whip towards Todoroki. Todoroki looked cold too, despite the fact that he usually was good with temperatures. Something so large must have taken a lot of energy to create.

Izuku analyzed Todoroki’s face from the screen. Todoroki approached Sero, placing his left hand on his peer to break him free.

Todoroki’s face barely showed emotion, even on good days, but he looked distraught. It looked like he was upset, maybe with himself or even his father.

The crowd erupted into a chorus of “don’t mind!” for Sero’s disappointing loss. Disappointing wasn’t the best word, but it was true: to be overthrown and matched with someone far more powerful than him was disappointing. 

“ _ That look _ ,” Kasumi observed. “ _ It’s so sad. _ ”

***

The next match...To say that Kaminari’s loss was sad was an understatement. Shiozaki did amazing and held her own well, protecting herself with her quirk, Vines. Kaminari used too much of his power and lost due to that. He was taken to Recovery Girl after that, and Shiozaki moved onto the next round.

After the battle, Monoma came to mock them, but Kendo stopped him and apologized for his annoyingness.

“Wow. Kaminari-kun is supposed to be strong,” Izuku muttered. “But Shiozaki-san overthrew him in an instant. A quirk like hers is unstoppable, a binding type. People rarely get out of binds like those. Her quirk is like Kamui Woods, I wonder...”

“Deku-kun, stop muttering! It’s scary!”

***

The match afterwards was Iida and Hatsume. Hatsume, being the eccentric, genius, show off she was, took the chance to talk about her babies.

In the process, she made a complete fool out of Iida and used him for product advertisement. She stepped out of bounds by herself anyway, declaring Iida the winner. He wasn’t very satisfied with that.

Next was Aoyama and Ashido. Both of them held their own well, but Ashido was far more flexible and quick. Aoyama’s belt was burnt by Ashido’s acid and his quirk was rendered useless. She knocked Aoyama out clean. Ashido won, moving onto the next round.

Next was Yaoyorozu and Tokoyami. Both parties were strong, so it was a matter of who was quicker.

Yaoyorozu was easily knocked out of bounds, even with her shield. Dark Shadow, even during the day, was a near-unstoppable force, attacking without relenting in order of Tokoyami.

Yaoyorozu herself had been surprised by her loss, it was clear in the disappointment in her eyes. Kasumi informed Izuku of her self-esteem being crushed. Izuku’s heart went out to his classmate.

After that was Kirishima and Tetsutetsu. Both boys had extremely similar quirks, so their match was basically fighting fire with fire. They both had similar moves, attacking each other at the same time and dodging when the other dodged. It was a battle of endurance at that point.

It ended in a draw. Both Kirishima and Tetsutetsu collapsed at the same time, declaring a tie. It would be settled in the next round with an arm wrestle.

And then, it was Bakugo and Uraraka.

Izuku and Iida had gone to find Uraraka and give her pointers and suggestions. Their friend simply refused, saying she didn’t want to fall behind and rely on Izuku. She left for her match with a wobbly smile and a determination to win.

It was clear from the beginning that Bakugo wouldn’t go easy on Uraraka because she was a girl. His yearn to win and become the best outweighed common sense and manners. Every time she approached, low to the ground, he’d fire at her. It was clear she was getting exhausted, but she kept going without hesitation. Izuku admired her for that.

From the start it was obvious the match was unfair. Uraraka was strong, but her quirk required her to get close. With Bakugo’s incredible defense and offense, it was simply an unbalanced match.

But Izuku saw the trick up her sleeve before anyone else did, thanks to Kasumi’s vision. A meteor shower.

Pieces of rubble and debris from the explosion were floating in the air above the stadium. They had been hidden because of Bakugo’s explosion forcing ash to cloud around.

In the end, not even Uraraka’s special move could outdo Bakugo. His quick reflexes and power brought him to victory. Uraraka collapsed on the ground, still trying even after she couldn’t get back up.

She was the one who inspired so many. 

***

The second round was to begin soon. The first match was Izuku and Todoroki. Izuku’s heart raced and his head pounded as he made his way to see Uraraka and check up on her. He was extremely nervous, if it wasn’t obvious already.

“Oi, Deku!” Bakugo’s irritated voice sounded throughout the hallway. Izuku jolted, stopping in his tracks.

“Ka-Kacchan? C-Congratulations on winning-“

“You told Round Face to do all that, didn’t you? You gave her a useless plan. You always do this, you arrogant bastard.”

“It wasn’t me.” Bakugo scoffed. “She-she did that by herself. I didn’t tell her anything. If you thought it was bad, it wasn’t me. But Uraraka-san led you by the nose.” Izuku turned and continued past, paying no other heed Bakugo sneered at him.

Izuku made his way into the waiting room Uraraka sat in.

“Oh man, Deku-kun! I lost, didn’t I?” Uraraka rubbed the back of her head abashedly and laughed.

Izuku stopped before walking slowly over to Uraraka and taking her hand. “Uraraka, you did really well. You made everyone proud.”

Uraraka stopped as if a spell had shattered. Tears began streaming down her face and she wiped at them profusely. “Izuku, you’re such a jerk sometimes. Making a girl cry like this.”

“E-Eh?” Izuku backed off immediately. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

Uraraka let out a small laugh and wiped the rest of the tears from her face. “Thank you. You’re going up against Todoroki-kun right? Good luck.”

Izuku nodded. “Thanks. I’ll need it.”

***

“Kasumi,” Izuku whispered to the Soul Guardian. 

“ _ Yes, I understand Izuku-sama _ ,” Kasumi replied diligently. “ _ I’ll only be by your side when you ask me for it _ .”

“Thanks, Kasumi.”

Todoroki matched onto the field with determination in his eyes. His jaw was set and his expression was blank…save for a few traces of anger. Izuku took in a deep breath. He had a run-in with Endeavor before he got here...Kasumi who apparently had swim built-up anger let out a strong gust of wind that had shut up the No. 2 Hero. 

“READY???!!! BEGIN!!!!”

“ _ Izuku-sama! _ ” Kasumi warned. “ _ He’ll attack first! _ ”

“Got it!”

One For All ebbed and flowed throughout his whole body. He had trained with Kasumi enough to get down to 5 seconds, it was enough time for Izuku to punch forward and completely obliterate a trail of glacier racing his way. At 100%, Izuku would’ve merely flicked his fingers, but at 5%, the power output of his whole arm was necessary. He was light on his feet as he sprinted out of the way and took down another trail of glaciers. Izuku sprinted forward quickly ducking close to the ground and when he was at range, he planted his feet and spun around landing his heel near Todorki’s face. The other blocked with both of his arms and was knocked aside like a rag doll. He had to resort to creating an ice wall that kept him from going further. 

“ _ Izuku-sama! Another one! _ ”

Izuku didn’t bother with destroying it, he sidestepped and leaped backwards to avoid, drawing his fist back. The wind swirled around his arm and he punched forward, a whirlwind gusting forward. Todoroki had a hard time hanging on. Creating another ice wall that kept him from being swept away by the force of Izuku’s wind. Todoroki charged forward and Kasumi as well as Izuku alike noticed how he was significantly slower. His right arm was coated with ice and it hung limply at Todoroki’s side. He tried landing a hit on Izuku, but he retaliated immediately, by ducking and sending a sharp punch into his gut. He was tossed backwards and the crowd was going wild. He finally started sitting up and Izuku was staring him down. 

“The ice. It slows you down doesn’t it? The rebound. You can just simply use your fire and thaw your right side, but you won’t.”

“Didn’t you listen to me?” Todoroki said huffing heavily. “I vowed that I won’t…”

“You knows what you’re doing slights the rest of us,” Izuku drilled on. “They’re all giving their all and her you are just using half of you power. Are you going to use only half of your power when you’re a hero too? Huh?”

“You don’t understand!” Todoroki yelled back. 

“You’re right!” Izuku replied glowing with a swirl of pale green and deep emerald. “I don’t understand at all. But your quirk doesn’t define you! What you do with it does! That fire isn’t your father’s! It’s yours  _ Shouto-kun _ ! Can’t you see it?!”

Todoroki stopped and looked at him in shock. 

“Whatever happened to you, it doesn’t matter!” Izuku yelled. “ _ You can be a hero! _ ”

There was a moment of silence as everyone as at the edge of their seats, before a blast of cold and hot temperatures erupted from where Todoroki was standing. His left side engulfed with flames and the right summoning sword-like glaciers. 

“I-I...want to be a hero too!”

Izuku grinned and smiled. “Yeah! I won’t be holding back anymore!”

The wind erupted around him and he raised a hand into the sky. “KASUMI!!!”

“ _ Under _ stood Izuku-sama!”

There was a glow of pale green as Kasumi appeared in the arena beside him. 

“WHA-WHA-WHA-WHAT!!!! THIS GIRL JUST APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE???!!! WHAT DOES THE REFEREE HAVE TO SAY????!!!!”

“This is the true extent of Midoriya Izuku’s quirk!” Midnight raised a whip into the air. “Soul Guardian! Due to this, she is allowed beside Midoriya!”

Izuku looked to Kasumi and they nodded. “Let’s go!”

Todoroki clasped his hands together before ice and ice alike exploded forward. The crowd held a breath as they thought that Izuku was finished for...but a tornado erupted upwards dispersing the fire and ice. 

“When cold air and hot air combine in the right way,” Kasumi said as she walked through the whirlwind along with Izuku. “The wind is at its strongest! Izuku-sama! Let us proceed!”

“Okay!” Izuku nodded as Kasumi closed her eyes before forcing her staff upwards into the air. 

“Hyah!”

Pale blue light pressured down on Todoroki rendering him immobile, but his Quirk was still active fanning out on either side of him. Kasumi lowered her staff and then sprinted forward alongside Izuku. She passed the staff over to Izuku where he held it out in front of him and green missiles shot forward and hit the ground blinding Todoroki. 

“Kasumi!”

“Spirits of the Air! Answer to my will!”

Her staff spun forward and created at least a tornado and picked up Todoroki and tossed him into the air. He started spiraling towards the ground, the power from Kasumi’s restraints long gone by now. He powered up as Izuku raised a staff and Kasumi twirled her staff like a baton. 

“STARWIND LINK!!!”

They launched forward the same time Todoroki punched forward with both fists. A blinding light filled the arena and everyone looked away. When it finally faded away, Izuku was propped against Kasumi who was sitting on the ground. Todoroki was at least a meter away laying on the ground with his arms outstretched. Both the male’s shirts were ruined in some way, and Kasumi was the only one who seemed to be unscathed. Midnight raised a whip and waved it in the air.

“Midoriya and Kasumi are the winners! Todoroki is out of bounds!”

“Izuku-sama,” Kasumi urged quietly. “We won. Can you stand?”

He groaned, unable to make words. He had taken the bulk of Todoroki’s hit. It was a strategic sacrifice as he had cancelled Starwind Link and had given Kasumi time to conjure a stronger gale of wind and push their opponent out of bounds. Todoroki pushed himself up and Izuku looked up. There were no traces of anger or disdain on his face...he seemed mildly happy and content. Of course it wasn’t immediately visible, but he seemed relaxed. Todoroki walked over to him and held out a hand. Izuku looked at it in mild surprise before grinning and gratefully reaching up to take it. 

Kasumi sighed in relief...the boy looked like he found the light at the end of his dark melancholy tunnel. Izuku stumbled on his feet a little bit before regaining proper footing. “Thanks...you okay Shouto-kun?”

Todoroki involuntarily flinched. Firstly, he was called ‘Shouto-kun’ and to his guilty admittance, he had like being called Shouto-kun by the greenette...no matter how weird that sounded. Secondly, there wasn’t anyone who asked him that particular question in a long time and he was unaccustomed to such kindness coming his way. The crowd went wild and Kasumi looked at the two males. “Izuku-sama. Todoroki-san. I suggest that we should check in with Recovery Girl. The both of you should be promptly healed of your injuries.”

“Yeah,” Izuku nodded before looking at Todoroki. “Let’s get going. They’ll want to start the other matches later.”

They walked into the hallway side-by-side. It was the sort of intimacy between friends and Todoroki noticed Kasumi holding onto Izuku’s arm protectively, making sure he didn’t fall in any direction. Todoroki realized...he was a bit envious of Kasumi’s and Izuku’s closeness. Though their moment was short lived as Endeavor stepped out of nowhere and approached the three of them. 

Kasumi had noticed that Todoroki stiffened when Endeavor came up...anger and resentment were rare emotion that Kasumi experienced...perhaps the scalding feeling threatening to burst within Kasumi was ‘resentment.’ 

“Shouto,” Endeavor addressed. His eyes held unbridled anger...but it was nothing compared to the anger Kasumi held towards the man. 

“Please move aside,” Kasumi said stepping forward. “If you are to raise a hand against Todoroki-san I would like to warn you, that Todoroki-san is a witness and I could take any case to court with permission from Izuku-sama.”

Izuku was in the very least surprised with the cold steely tone that came from Kasumi. She took in a deep breath. “A fire can roar for as long as it wants to, but in the end it will die out. Please refrain from talking to Todoroki-san for the rest of the day.”

They walked away and they left Endeavor staring silently at their direction. 

“Thank you, Kasumi,” Todoroki said silently.

“There is no need to thank me,” Kasumi replied with a soft smile. Her cold steely tone almost completely forgotten. “I’m sure that Izuku-sama would have done the same thing as well.”

***   
  
Recovery Girl promptly checked over both Izuku and Todoroki. She had gave Todoroki a hot and cold pack to alternate on the nasty bruises on his arms and stomach from Izuku’s hits, which Izuku apologized profusely for. Izuku himself wasn’t in much of a better state either. He had thousands of burns that littered all over his waist and up. Along with that, there were thousands of cuts from exploding glaciers. Todoroki had felt a little bit guilty, but Kasumi took the liberty in healing Izuku of his injuries. The room was crowded immediately by almost a third of Class A.

“Deku-kun are you okay?!”

“Midoriya-san!”

“Dude! You have a Quirk like that?!”

“Kasumi had such a power like that?”

“That last move was absolutely spectacular!”

Izuku blushed by the amount of compliments he was receiving and Kasumi dipped her head in respect. “Greetings. My name is Kasumi as all of you know. I am the Soul Guardian to Izuku-sama. Please forgive Izuku-sama for hiding the true extent of his Quirk away from all of you.”

Izuku looked up before standing up and pulling a black tank-top over his head. “Sorry, but we need to get ready for the next match...aren’t you going to watch the other matches?”

“Well,” Uraraka said. “From all the damage the two of you made on the field, Cementos-san said that there was going to be a break to repair the field.”

“Oh…,” Izuku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. 

“Well all of you need to get out of here, quickly!” Recovery Girl lightly scolded all of them. “Our patients here need to make a decent enough of a recovery and with all of you here, we don’t need too many people here.”

People grumbled and mumbled amongst themselves as they walked out of the room. Izuku turned to Todoroki and cracked a smile. It was strange for the bi-colored boy...why his chest was pounding so much.


	8. Haku, the Breeze of Spring and Heartfeltness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After climbing their way to the top after a decisive and anger-filled battle with Bakugo. Kasumi and Izuku introduce and open up their world a little bit more to Todoroki, where the boy learns that...
> 
> One, Kasumi could be absolutely terrifying and ruthless  
> Two, a theory that the Soul Guardian held dear  
> Third, *Siri Voice* where he found out that he was gay, so damn gay for Izuku.
> 
> Not in that order though...

The next battle for Kasumi and Izuku was against Tokoyami. They were technically on even ground seeing as how Tokoyami had Dark Shadow.

“Izuku-sama,” Kasumi stepped forward. “Please allow me to take care of this. You have taken the bulk of the damage at our last fight, it is only fitting that I take care of this battle swiftly for you.”

“Kasumi,” Izuku said. “You don’t have to...but if you really want to, I won’t stop you.”

Kasumi smiled and nodded. “READY?! BEGIN!”

Tokoyami was going to summon Dark Shadow if it weren’t for Kasumi raising her staff high in the ground. Pale Blue Light weighed Tokoyami down against the ground and she spun the staff before pointing it in front of her. “This is the fruition of our training! Celadon Whirlwind!”

Green-tinted wind spiraled forward and pushed Tokoyami backwards out of the line and Midnight cracked her whip. “The winner is Kasumi and Midoriya!”

Izuku sighed and looked at Tokoyami apologetically. Tokoyami shook his head and Dark Shadow popped up before saluting enthusiastically and giving them a thumbs up.

***

“Todoroki-kun!” Uraraka called. The half-quirked boy look up and saw that Uraraka was gesturing to him to come sit next to her. Todoroki blinked and then walked ahead to join her. “Your battle with Midoriya was so intense! I didn’t think that Kasumi and Izuku were connected that way!”

Todoroki glanced at the bubbly energetic girl before looking out at the field where Iida and Bakugo were battling. “I didn’t think so either. They probably trained a lot to get where they are now.”

“That’s what I thought too!” Uraraka nodded. “That last move...Starwind Link? It looked like something a Pro Hero would pull off.”

Todoroki mulled over Uraraka’s words. Maybe...he could ask the both of them how they did all their training.

“THE WINNER IS BAKUGO!!!!”

That snapped Todoroki out of his thoughts and he watched as he jerked his head in a condescending manner and stalked off.

“I’m a bit worried for Midoriya,” Todoroki could hear Yaoyorozu murmur. “Bakugo is probably maddened from the hero vs villain exercise.”

Other people visibly shivered and paled at the thought of Izuku being beaten up.

***

“So Kacchan won?” Izuku looked up from his splits position and at the TV.

“I suppose so, Izuku-sama,” Kasumi nodded. “What shall we do? Bakugo has agility that can rival your One For All: Full Cowling. His fighter’s instincts has proven invaluable, and rivals that of my eyesight and your analytical mind combined. Also, his Quirk Explosions is indisputably a powerful asset at his disposal.”

“Kasumi...I’m going to fight him alone.”

The Soul Guardian looked at the greenette and he sucked in a deep breath. “I think I owe Kacchan this much. I slighted him so many times during our time here at Yuuei, but I’ll use your power as well as Full Cowling. I’ll be safe I promise.”

Kasumi sighed and then stiffened her hold on her staff. “Then on one condition Izuku-sama. That if you find yourself in a dangerous spot, please do not hesitate to call upon me.”

Izuku nodded gratefully. “I’ll use all my experience in this battle!”

***

Bakugo was no slouch when it came to hand-to-hand combat. That Izuku knew in his bones, but Kacchan would’ve never seen to have Izuku to have almost the same amount experience in terms of hand-to-hand combat.

“HERE WE ARE AT THE FINALS!!!! OUR TWO FINALISTS! A FAVORITE TO WIN MIDORIYA IZUKU FROM CLASS A!!! AND ANOTHER FROM CLASS A KATSUKI BAKUGO!!!”

The two of them marched onto the field and Bakugo had a permanent scowl on his face. Midnight raised her whip into the air. “Ready? BEGIN!”

Izuku got into a fighting position. His fists raised up as he pivoted his foot behind his other. His front foot pointing directly at Bakugo. The other had charged forward with his Explosions boosting him. He raised his right hand to hit Izuku, but the greenette predicted it. He blocked the attack by slamming his fist against Kacchan’s wrist. His free hand reached up and grabbed his collar, before Izuku shot his knee up into his gut. The wind boosted Bakugo backwards and he tumbled on the floor.

The crowd winced at the attack and Kaminari took a deep breath. “Damn, I definitely do not want to battle Izuku anymore.”

The others muttered in agreement as they watched Bakugo struggled to get up. It was a hard hit to his gut, as well as his pride. Todoroki would never admit this at all, but he watched the battle in such an intensity...and he truly hoped that the greenette would win.

“You...fucking...arrogant BASTARD!!!!”

He charged forward again making his movements erratic and harder to predict. Green electricity crackled around Izuku and he leaped out of the way before Bakugo could hit him. Bakugo growled and blasted his way over to Izuku who was sprinting about and jumping randomizing his movements. Wind gust after wind gust, Izuku has conjured to slow down Bakugo’s speed, but the explosive male swiped at them foolishly trying to get the out of his way. They wavered and weakened the intensity of Bakugo’s explosions.

“Stop fucking half assing it and fight me, dammit!”

He chased after Izuku and the other halted immediately and pivoted on his foot. Bakugo was a bit startled from the sudden change of direction and he immediately released a series of explosions advancing on Izuku, but the greenette drew his arm back and punched forward, a spiral of green wind whirling forward and pushing the offending male back. The wind acted as a smoke screen as Izuku charged forward and leaped into the air where Bakugo would be expecting him the least. The wind was swept away from Kacchan letting out a giant explosion, but Izuku didn’t flinch, he punched downwards managing to get a glancing blow on his shoulder. The other hissed before gritting his teeth animalistically and grabbing Izuku’s own shoulder ruthlessly and...releasing an explosion. “Fucking Deku!”

Izuku was flung backwards and he stopped himself, grabbing his burned and limp shoulder.

“ _Izuku-sama!_ ”

“Stop half assing you arrogant bastard!” Bakugo yelled at him holding up a fist at him. “Come on! Bring that wind bitch out!”

Izuku stopped and Kasumi was silent. The wind began to pick up before reaching a fierce speed of at least 20 meters per second. Izuku looked up and everyone could see the unadulterated anger in his eyes. “What did you call Kasumi?”

“A wind bitch,” Kacchan replied mockingly a hint of a smug smile on his face. “Didn’t you hear me the first time, Deku?”

As if a spell had taken place, everyone felt the weight of Izuku’s anger. “I don’t care if you call me Deku, or useless. But one thing’s for sure! I’m not going to let you call Kasumi a BITCH!!!”

The wind swirled around him like a tornado before the eye of the storm was redirected onto Izuku’s arm, the tornado shrinking and pressurizing its intensity to fit Izuku’s good arm. The windstorm crackling with the same energy of One For All and his aura flickered between two hues of green. Kacchan smirked satisfied with Izuku’s display of power. His own hands crackled with explosions and he charged forward and Izuku met him face on. Bakugo thrusted his palm forward, but his explosion was whisked away from the hot air it emanated. He had fallen straight into a death trap.

“ _Izuku-sama, don’t!_ ” Kasumi tried stopping the greenette. “ _You can’t do this! You could kill him!_ ”

He didn’t reply and punched forward. The wind blinded everyone as they shielded their faces. When it finally disappeared Bakugo was out of the line and his face was in pure shock. There were black traction marks from his shoes, that went from where he formerly stood to where he was right now. Izuku was standing there as if nothing had happened. His fist in the same punching position.

“That power,” Uraraka whispered in awe. “All that and Bakugo didn’t even get hurt?”

“No,” Todoroki replied crossing his arms. “He just redirected his punch and the wind was enough to push Bakugo out...he’s not the type to kill someone out of cold blood.”

Midnight took in a deep breath before raising her whip. “THE WINNER IS MIDORIYA IZUKU!!!”

The crowd cheered and Bakugo continued staring at Izuku. The greenette began speaking. “It’s true that you insulted Kasumi like that. Something like that is unforgivable, but I know that Kasumi wouldn’t want to be angry for her sake.”

Bakugo looked up at Izuku like a broken clock. Kasumi was silent and she held her breath in anxiety. “Even though you did all that. I can’t keep myself from forgiving you. It doesn’t matter what you do Kacchan. No matter how you try angering me. It might not be great for you, but I’ll always forgive someone who I’ve known for a long time. Kasumi is like that best friend and sibling, don’t you dare try insulting her again if you want to face that power again.”

Bakugo fell onto his knees and Kasumi let out a strangled breath.

They proceeded with the awards ceremony and Izuku was beaming waving at the cameras with a gold medal wrung around his neck. “I did it mom! I did it!”

Inko who was watching broadcast from her home was crying in happiness...but she didn’t know what Kasumi knew. The smile that Izuku had on his face was completely forced and fake. Bakugo just stood on the second-place podium with his face shadowed and his figure completely slack. Tokoyami stood on the third-place podium...but Iida wasn’t here due to family problems.

***

Izuku walked down the hallway and stopped...pale green light pulsed from his chest and floated outwards before Kasumi. “Izuku-sama…”

Izuku stepped forward and hugged the Soul Guardian tightly. “I’m sorry for scaring you like that.”

Kasumi stopped before hugging him back. “It’s fine, Izuku-sama. I’m just happy that you didn’t do something you would sorely regret. I’m truly thankful that you think highly of me.”

They didn't notice that a certain bi-colored haired boy was against the wall...stumbling upon their conversation by pure luck and staying to listen.

***

After the U.A. Sports Festival, everyone was given a two days of rest. It was something that Izuku had greatly appreciated. Kasumi had spent the time training with Izuku and improving her own craft before they tried working on more techniques utilizing Kasumi’s staff.

Izuku slashed forward before twirling and diving forward before leaping back, he threw up the staff over to Kasumi had leaped into the air. She caught the staff and she spun around the air with surprising mobility and a twister spiraled around hers traveling forward before dispersing and alighting Kasumi onto the ground softly.

“That’s another improvement,” Izuku jogged up to her with a beaming smile. Kasumi nodded as well with a soft smile.

“I do think we have room for more established improvements. We got the basic outline of the idea down...but we still need to add technical stuff to make sure we don’t leave too many opening for our opponents to see through our attack...Izuku-sama if you will, can you allow me to experiment something?”

“Uh, yeah sure,” Izuku nodded. He watched as Kasumi took in a deep breath before leaping into the air and twisting her staff so that it was pointing downwards. She dived downwards hitting the blade of the staff against the ground with a soft _ping!_ Green light flushed outwards through the air and Izuku could feel Kasumi’s power of healing ebbing through his body.

“What was that?” Izuku asked.

“It’s an area heal,” Kasumi informed. “I thought it would take a bit too long healing people one by one, so I was thinking about how to utilize my healing in a more efficient way.”

Izuku smiled and nodded. “As expected of you, Kasumi! What will you call it?”

“Wind of Healing.”

***  
  
Endeavor had almost no time to reprimand Todoroki about anything, since he was out on a lot of patrols. He just laid there in his room lazily scrolling through his phone absent-mindedly. Recently Todoroki was welcomed into Class 1-A...well he was already in the class but he didn’t usually participate with the little activities that the other students would indulge upon. Like a group chat.

There was just a bunch of musings of random things in life...some mildly funny things and little ‘conspiracy theories.’ The most recent topic was Kasumi and Izuku. The greenette hadn’t answered for a long time and people were talking if the two of them were in a relationship and how strange the Quirk was. Mineta was envious of Izuku of having a girl follow him around like a dutiful servant, which Uraraka scolded him of and saying that Izuku thought of Kasumi as a friend. Then finally musings of a ‘secret training.’

Todoroki finally shut off his phone and rolled onto his back to merely stare up at the ceiling. It was true that he wanted to get closer with the greenette...but with his childhood and past experiences that scarred his personality today...well he wasn’t sure if it was possible that he could make friends with Izuku. There was a small buzz that vibrated from Todoroki’s phone and looked over it to see that it was a text from Izuku.

_Hey, Shouto-kun! ...wait can I call you that? Anyways interested in coming out to the harbor by Warehouse 4? Kasumi and I are training and we were thinking that you can join! You don’t really have much control over your fire like your ice right? Kasumi was thinking that she could help you with that and have friendly spars to improve her combat skills. Just fighting between the two of us isn’t really a great way to train._

The message was a bit lengthy but Todoroki, to his guilty admittance, was definitely bent on going. It was strange for him, for wanting to be close to a person who he just began to know. He got up and tugged on a simple sweatshirt and went out to go find Warehouse 4.

***

When he got there, Izuku and Kasumi were waiting for him at the doors and they were smiling. “Thanks for coming Shouto-kun...oh wait you didn’t answer if I can call you that.”

Todoroki blinked. His heart always skipped a beat whenever he was called by that. It was a pleasant feeling. “Yeah...you can call me that.”

Izuku beamed before Kasumi nudged him softly. “Oh right! I forgot! If I can call you that you can just call me Izuku!”

Todoroki blinked and nodded. “Well,” Kasumi clapped. “Let us get to work immediately. Shall we start, Izuku-sama, Todoroki-san?”

Izuku nodded enthusiastically.

If Todoroki knew that Kasumi was a hard trainer...then he would’ve put a little bit more thought into joining them. Izuku had gone straight into running around the abandoned warehouse and Kasumi was timing him. She stopped the timewatch at 6 minutes and 30 seconds before looking up at the greenette. “Izuku-sama. Please run five laps again you went over the time limit.”

“Okay!” Izuku replied immediately and ran with much vigor. Sweat was pouring down at his brow and gathering at his chin. He had ending up shedding his top much to Todoroki’s dismay. He would’ve never thought the male to basically be ripped, though because of his small frame he wasn’t shown as buff through his shirt.

“Don’t worry Todoroki-san,” Kasumi turned to Izuku. “Izuku-sama is very much used to this. He only got to this difficulty level after training from six years old with judo and self-defense.”

Todoroki sucked in a deep breath. It was around the same time that Todoroki was forced into training by his father. Kasumi faced Todoroki completely. “So, since you’re our guest. I need to improve my combat skills and you need to improve your control over fire. So, how about we come in a friendly spar?”

Todoroki flinched when Kasumi suddenly snapped at the stopwatch in her hand and called out to Izuku. “Izuku-sama! You’ve passed the time limit by at least twenty seconds. You may stop now, but please improve your time next time.”

Todoroki came to a decision, Kasumi was very much and utterly scary. “May we start, Todoroki-san?”

The boy in question nodded and Kasumi held her staff in front of her grabbing it with both hands. Todoroki took in a deep breath and stomped his foot to summon ice, but pale blue light weighed down on him and kept him from using his ice. He looked up to see that Kasumi was sprinting at him with frightening speed. She leaped into the air and Todoroki raised his other arm to summon his fire. It blasted forwards and he was afraid that he burned the Soul Guardian, but she negated the effect with a quick gust of wind. They cancelled each other out and she swung her staff down ruthlessly. Todoroki managed to dive out of the way and Kasumi sprinted forwards. Todoroki was immediately on the defensive summing a short burst of ice that protected his right arm and a maelstrom of fire on his right. Kasumi locked her staff with the other’s ice before immediately drawing back and thrusting forward again. He blocked it with his fire and the wind effect wavered his fire, but sent Kasumi’s staff from hitting him.

“Just relying on the fact that wind and fire cancel each other out won’t help you,” Kasumi replied as she spun around and swung her staff like a pendulum and lodged the crystal blade into the ice. The force jarred Todoroki’s form and he punched forward with his other hand. Fire blasted forward, but Kasumi twirled behind her staff and wrenched it off the ice with surprising strength.

“You must be quicker and more precise, Todoroki-san.”

He turned around to see that Kasumi had leaped into the air spinning gracefully and jabbing her staff forwards. Todoroki barely managed to deflect the attack and Kasumi used his body as a launch pad, twirling in the air before landing on the ground a few meters away from him. Todoroki staggered on his feet and looked up to see that Kasumi raised her staff and a wind gale erupted forwards sending the other tumbling backwards.

“Quirks are like muscles,” Kasumi explained walking over to Todoroki. “You need to exercise them in order to have proper coordination and be able to utilize them efficiently. It is what I believe. Do you agree with me? ...Shouto-san?”

Shouto looked up to see that Kasumi had her hand out and helped the male onto his feet. Izuku jogged over to Shouto and looked him over. The male could feel his heart rate spiking. “Are you okay? Kasumi can be a bit ruthless at times...Kasumi see! You don’t have to practice your combat skills too much!”

Kasumi laughed at Izuku’s worry and fussing over Shouto. After watching Izuku train and help Todoroki control his fire a little bit more, they all ended up sitting near the harbor looking out at the ocean.

“Mido-Izuku…”

“Yeah?” Izuku looked up at the male next to him.

“Why does Kasumi have these powers when she’s your Soul Guardian? Does it work in some way?”

“You sounded like Izuku-sama a little bit there,” Kasumi mused. “But I do understand your confusion. Many people can’t very much grasp the concept of the quirk, Soul Guardian.”

“Well,” Izuku ribbed his cheek nervously. “I don’t really know much about it…”

Kasumi nodded and opened her mouth to explain. “You see, I believe in a theory that Quirks are reflected solely upon a person’s qualities. Take Bakugo for example. His personality screams explosive. Iida-san is energetic to an extent of a quick-thinker and a head-strong man. In that way, I believe that I was born through Izuku-sama’s wish to protect others. My powers and abilities as a Soul Guardian comes from his other wishes, weaknesses, traits, and skills.”

Todoroki blinked and Kasumi continued on. “My ability to heal is directly related with how Izuku-sama got hurt often from bullies in his life, my ability to restrain others and to keep them from moving is from his ideal not to hurt others and be someone like All Might, the Symbol of Peace. My keen eye comes from Izuku’s habits of watching heroes fight, pick apart their moves, and write them down in a series of notebooks.”

“Yeah,” Izuku rubbed his head in embarrassment. “I was a really big fanboy.”

A foreign feeling played at Shouto’s lips, but he fought against it as Kasumi continued on. “My close combat was something I learned alongside Izuku as he learned combat...and the control of the air I have...well I believe it comes directly from Izuku as a person seeing as how it was a power I was born with. The air can act as a breeze that breathes life into those of good will. I believe that this is Izuku-sama’s kind nature. The fierce manipulation of the wind I have…comes from Izuku-sama’s fierce and defiant will to protect others.”

Shouto nodded and took in all the information. It had him wonder. What was it about him that made him possess his current Quirk?


	9. We Can Do It! Goddess of Fate!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the decisive battle at the U.A. Sports Festival, our heroes in training find themselves picking out their hero names and looking forward to their internships to learn more about their work...
> 
> Though a bloody possibility and fate compel that of the weak-willed...into the murderous city of Hosu.

The next morning, Izuku anxiously walked through the gates and Uraraka was there waiting for him. 

“Good morning, Deku-kun!” she greeted cheerfully, despite the gloomy weather.

“Good morning, Uraraka-san,” Izuku replied with a smile. Uraraka stopped before rubbing her head nervously. 

“This might sound a bit weird, but good morning to you too, Kasumi,” Uraraka said. “I’m sorry but this concept is a bit hard to grasp.”

“ _ Izuku-sama _ ,” Kasumi said. “ _ Can you give Uraraka-san my greetings? _ ”

“She says good morning too,” Izuku replied. “Don’t worry. It takes a long time for people to get used to my Quirk.” The greenette looked around. “Where’s Iida-kun?”

Uraraka shrugged and sighed. “I don’t know, but he’s suddenly been really distant. I hope that things are going to be okay for him. Let’s get to class.”

They walked into the building and pulled up at their classroom 1-A. The others were sitting down and they all smiled up when Izuku walked into the room. 

“Good morning! Good morning to you too, Kasumi!”

“How’s Kasumi? She’s with you right now, right?”

Izuku nodded and Kasumi seemed a bit touched by the class’s consideration. Izuku looked up and his eyes met two other ones. Shouto held up a silent hand in greeting and Izuku beamed before waving back enthusiastically. It was only a few minutes before everyone sat down at their respective seats and waited for Aizawa-sensei to walk in. 

“We’re going to have a special class today with one other teacher. You’ll be picking your hero names today.”

The class erupted into cheers.

“That’s exciting!” Ashido cheered.

Aizawa glared at them, activating his quirk. “You guys really don’t know how to control yourselves.” The man groaned. “Anyway, the hero names have to do with your internships. The heroes that have picked up an interest on you will probably have sent something in, an offer and such. That hero could end up wanting you as a sidekick once you graduate if you’re good enough.”

Hagakure interrupted, her usual cheery voice breaking through. “Aizawa-sensei, you’re saying we have to prove ourselves worthy if we get picked?”

Aizawa nodded lazily. “Yeah. Here’s the offers you all got, by the way.” Aizawa pulled up the screen to show everyone’s total offers. It wasn’t a surprise the people who had placed first and second during the festival had gotten thousands. Izuku gawked at the board. He had gotten the most amount of offers with Kacchan being a close second. 

“I got the most?!”

“Of course!” Ashido piqued up. “You came out first place in the Sports Festival! Also your Quirk is really interesting for a lot of people!”

“Still,” Aizawa interrupted the class’ mini-discussion. “It doesn’t matter how many offers you got. You’re all interning with pro heroes. You all have experienced a fight with real villains, but you weren’t trained for that yet. In your internships, you’ll be taught how to deal with villains properly by working with pros.”

Sato grinned. “That’s why we’re picking code names today! Awesome!”

Aizawa yawned, bored. “The names you pick today aren’t permanent. You can always change them later if you wish to.”

The door swung open. “I’ll be the one helping out today!” the person announced, striding confidently into the classroom. “Midnight-sensei?” Half of the boys were already drooling.

Kasumi sighed in disdain at the pervertedness shown by most of the males. 

“That’s right. Midnight-san will be moderating your names and deciding if they’re okay. I don’t think I can do that stuff.” Aizawa muttered the last part to himself, pulling up his sleeping bag and zipping it up halfway. “Pick names that you want to reflect your image. Like All Might.” Aizawa seemed to cringe at that. “Oh right, Midoriya. Kasumi will have to pick out a hero name too.”

Izuku blinked and then nodded. He tapped his chest and Kasumi appeared on an empty desk next to him. People flinched slightly but settled with Kasumi’s presence rather quickly. 

With that, Aizawa zippered up the rest of his sleeping bag and flopped on the floor. Izuku momentarily wondered if Midnight was assisting solely so Aizawa could sleep during class without being bothered by someone like Iida.

Should it be something relating to his quirk? He wouldn’t write something like his quirk’s name seeing as how strange it would be. Growing up, when he wanted to be a hero, all of his hero names were directly related to All Might. But now, it would merely be utterly childish to choose something like ‘All Might Jr.’

Izuku thought long and hard. Choosing something like a hero name should be easy, but it was wracking his brain annoyingly. Izuku really had no idea what to put. He was thinking about asking Kasumi for guidance, but he caught sight of the Soul Guardian writing feverishly and placing her board down on the desk without using much time. 

“Alright darlings! Let’s present your names. Who wants to go first?” Midnight asked, looking around the classroom. Aoyama gracefully lifted himself out of his chair and flaunted up to the podium. He held up his board.

“I am the Shining Hero: I can not stop twinkling!” Izuku covered his mouth, attempting to smother a laugh. He snorted instead, leaning his head down and shaking it. Surprisingly, Midnight told Aoyama he should just keep it as ‘Can’t stop twinkling’ and was weirdly okay with the idea.

Ashido jumped up next, presenting her code name: Alien Queen. Midnight had thought the name was too creepy. The hero told the horned girl to think of a friendlier name and that she’d come back to the girl later. Ashido pouted and returned to her seat. Kasumi assured that Ashido’s creativity was greatly refreshing, even when it was based off some sort of movie.

Tsu went up next. Her hero name was Froppy, and everyone loved it. It was cute and simple, along with that she was extremely pleased with the praise. Kirishima went next. He chose his as Red Riot, similar to his favorite hero, Crimson Riot. The name was Midnight-approved.

Kaminari complained loudly about his name. Jiro tapped on his shoulder mischievously. 

“Here’s one: Jammingyay?” Kaminari liked it, but Jiro laughed at him. “Because you might be strong, but you’re a total airhead!”

Jiro hopped out of her seat, presenting her name. Earphone Jack, based right off her quirk. Shoji went next, his was Tentacole.

Sero’s name was Cellophane, based off his elbow tape. Ojiro's was Tailman, the Martial Arts Hero. Sato chose Sugarman, for his affinity and quirk relating to sweets. Ashido went again, finally deciding on Pinky.

Kaminari ignored Jiro’s suggestion and chose Chargebolt instead. Hagakure chose her code name as Invisible Girl, which was somewhat cliché, but hey, so is most of the shit that happens in the world so it was okay.

Yaoyorozu chose a clever Creati. It had a nice ring. Midnight loved it.

Todoroki stood up at the podium. His hero name was just his first name, Shouto. It had sparked something within Izuku. Kasumi looked at Izuku seeing that the gears were turning in his head. Shouto might’ve hated his name because of how his father picked it out for him and addressed him that way, but ever since Izuku had come into the picture, the name was a lot more bearable for him. Kasumi smiled sweetly to herself. Izuku didn’t know the impact that he had made on Shouto’s melachonly life. Midnight was confused, but Todoroki insisted it was fine anyway. 

Tokoyami went next, presenting his hero name as Tsukuyomi, god of the night. Izuku could see that Kasumi thought the idea was ingenious with how much she loved novels and history. 

Mineta’s name was Grape Juice, and Koda’s was Anima. Izuku liked Koda’s name, it was short and sweet.

Unfortunately, Bakugo went next. It was clear that he wasn’t taking it seriously. Maybe he was, and he was just that violent. “King Explosion Murder,” Bakugo presented, 100% serious. Midnight groaned. It wasn’t Midnight-approved.

Uraraka went next, presenting her board proudly. Uravity. Like Froppy, it was cute and had a nice ring to it. She seemed bashful by the praise and the awe that she got from the class.

Then, the only people left were Iida, Izuku, and Bakugo, who couldn’t just use violent code names. Izuku still didn’t have anything written down. He wasn’t going first, that was for sure. Iida presented his first, thankfully. He did the same as Todoroki, using his first name. Midnight allowed it, but sent him a confused look.

Izuku sighed, hastily writing down his hero name. “Midoriya-kun, Kasumi! Your turn!” Midnight called, beckoning him up to the podium. Izuku nodded, standing up and carrying his board with him.

He stood at the podium, holding his board up. “My hero name is Deku!”

The class voiced their doubts to him. “Do you really wanna be called Deku forever?” Kirishima asked tentatively. Izuku looked down, nodding curtly.

“Yeah. Until now, I...kind of despised the name. But someone finally changed the meaning of this name, and it really made me happy...So I’m fine with it.”

“What about you Kasumi?”

Kasumi placed her board next to Izuku’s and the greenette managed to get a glimpse on it. 

“Fan la Norne,” Izuku read aloud. 

“Yes,” Kasumi nodded. “Fan is a direct translation of my powers over the air. La was just put there to connect the other word. Norne...it comes from the German language, and specifically talks about a ‘goddess of fate.’ I want to help Izuku-sama give others a better future and twist away any bad fate.”

People gushed over the thought that Kasumi put on her hero name and Midnight accepted both of their submitted names, especially Kasumi’s. Bakugo hadn’t made a proper hero name by Midnight’s tastes, but she allowed him to do whatever he wanted after a few aggravating minutes of him not cooperating. Aizawa rose soon after they finished picking their hero names. The attention was turned back to the topic of internships afterwards. They would last for a week, where school would not be in session. Aizawa handed them a list of places the class could intern at, allowing them to choose whoever and wherever they wanted. Those who didn’t receive offers could still pick from a select few that accepted any interns. 

“Shouto-kun!”

The boy in question looked up as Izuku walked over to him along with Kasumi. “Have you picked out who you want to intern with?”

Shouto mulled over his list of interns before he tapped a name. 

“Endeavor Hero Agency?” Izuku read aloud. 

“Why would you want to intern with your father?” Kasumi asked. Her tone was laced with something very dangerous. 

“I know, I definitely do not like him,” Shouto replied. “But, I have to accept the fact that he’s the number two hero. I don’t like it, but I’ll learn a lot from him.”

Izuku stopped and nodded. He looked over his own list and caught sight that Endeavor had also offered an internship to him as well. “Wait...Shouto-kun your father offered me an internship too!”

Shouto glanced over his shoulder and Izuku looked up to see that he was really close. He could’ve fooled himself, but Izuku felt his heart skip a beat with how close he was. He ignored the giddy feeling and pointed at the name. Todoroki let out a breath. “You shouldn’t go. Kasumi got on my old man’s nerves a lot. He was angry and rioted in our house a lot.”

“But…!”

“It we went, then we would be able to look after you, Shouto-san. Endeavor may be a hero, but he isn’t the best man out there.”

They both looked up at Kasumi was gripping a fist against her chest. Izuku noticed that Kasumi’s knuckles were pale with how hard she was clenching her fingers. Shouto blinked before he looked at Izuku who was nodding in agreement. There was a foreign feeling that sent pangs at Shouto’s chest but he kept the feeling hidden. “Okay...then I’ll look forward to interning with you.”

***

“Deku-kun! Wanna walk home together?” Uraraka jogged up to Izuku and Kasumi, catching up with him at the door. Izuku hummed in response, glancing back at her. 

“What about Iida-kun?” Uraraka’s face disappeared back into the classroom, but Iida wasn’t at his desk. She frowned, an expression that didn’t go unnoticed by Kasumi and Izuku.

She wondered if Iida was alright. Back at the festival, he explained that a villain had gotten his older brother, Tensei, and left. Izuku hadn’t been there when he told her the news, as he was too busy worrying about injuries after his match with Shouto. 

Uraraka leaned back to face Izuku, but as soon as she did, All Might appeared, sliding in front of the boy. “Young Midoriya! I am here!”

Izuku took a step back, surprised. “I see, All Might. Do you need something?” Uraraka noticed that All Might looked worried, and he was sweaty. She humphed.

“Yes! Come with me, my boy!” All Might led Izuku down the hallway, disappearing out of sight.

Uraraka frowned at the loss of both her friends. Maybe Todoroki was right about them having a connection. 

All Might brought Izuku and Kasumi to an empty hallway. “Is there something the matter?” Kasumi asked. 

“My boy, you received an offer from a hero.” All Might looked like he was trembling for some reason. Strange.

“I did? Which one? I have too many internships though…”

All Might’s back faced Izuku. “Yes. His name is Gran Torino. He was my homeroom teacher at Yuuei, but for only one year.” All Might turned his head to face Izuku. He was visibly sweating.

Was All Might scared of this Gran Torino?

“He knows about One For All as well. I believe that’s why he sent in an offer for you anyway.”

Izuku stopped. Possibilities of accepting any other internships were flung out the window immediately. If training with the mentor of his idol was at reach, then Izuku would gladly take that chance...though he did feel guilty for abandoning Shouto for this offer. “Someone else knows about One For All?”

All Might stiffened. “Yes. You, Recovery Girl, Principal Nezu, a close friend, and Gran Torino all know about it. Gran Torino was a good friend of my master.”

All Might startled to tremble and mutter to himself. Izuku frowned at the hero’s actions. If the number one hero seemed wary of this man, should he be too?

“Um, All Might?”

“I-It is my duty to train and watch over your progress, my boy. B-But since you have an offer from someone so r-reliable, I want you to d-do your best.” All Might handed Izuku the offer from Gran Torino, dismissing him. Izuku took it and glanced over the paper cheerfully.

***

Izuku apologized to Shouto profusely over the phone that night and the other said that it was okay. Though, Shouto was a bit disappointed that they weren’t going to have the same internship. 

That night, Izuku sat on the couch, watching the news. Kasumi was aiding Inko who was in the kitchen making dinner, still watching from afar. There was something on Ingenium, Iida’s older brother. He took in a deep breath at the news.

“Is Ingenium beyond Recovery? Will he recover from the Hero Killer’s attacks, and continue being a hero? Or will he be forced into retiring at a young age?”

Izuku stared in pure shock at the news reporter. Tensei had been gravely injured, and Iida hadn’t told Izuku? Was that why he was acting so distant and closed-off? Izuku pulled out his phone, shooting a text to Uraraka. Apparently, Iida had already told her, but Izuku was too busy, so he was never informed. Izuku sighed. A part of his heart ached for Tensei and Iida.

Izuku was supposed to be a hero, yet he had no idea how to help Iida’s situation. Meddling when need not, yet Izuku had no idea where to start. Sometimes, it was at these moment where he wished that Kasumi’s wisdom could be channeled to him.


	10. Internships and Serial Killers!! Shall We Go Izuku-sama?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Internships have rolled about, and Izuku finds himself at a loss without wisdom to consult his friend in distress. After a horror scare that had Kasumi lose her wits and meeting a man who's basically deaf, he finds himself face-to-face with the infamous Hero Killer of Hosu. 
> 
> Why did the world hate him so much?

The first day of their internships rolled around quick. “Everyone have their costumes?” Aizawa called over the sound of his students chattering. Everyone nodded, some holding up their luggage to prove.

Izuku’s class was at the station, preparing to get on the train to their internships. He couldn’t help but glancing at Shouto from the corner of his eye. He seemed softer...he didn’t look angry and he certainly didn’t look hateful all the time anymore. Izuku twiddled with his thumbs. What was wrong with him? He had this sudden urge to grow closer with the other male and spend as much time with him. He still felt extremely guilty for not going to the same internship with him. He sighed and pressed a hand over of his quickly beating heart.

“ _ Is there something the matter, Izuku-sama? _ ”

“It’s nothing Kasumi,” he replied. “I’m just thinking a little bit.”

Aizawa dismissed them after clearly instructing them to be safe and be polite to their heroes. Izuku and Uraraka had caught up to Iida, who was walking by himself. 

“Iida-kun! Hey!” Uraraka called out, waving her arm. Iida stopped in his tracks and turned to face his friends. Izuku hesitated and the two of them walked up to the bespeckled boy. He opened his mouth to speak but he swallowed his words...no they would sound weak and wouldn’t provide much support.

Izuku looked up at Iida and finally decided on the words he was going to say. “Iida-kun...we trust each other right? I trust that if you need something, that you’ll come to us and ask for help.”

Uraraka stopped before looking at Iida and nodding. The male seemed like he was going break down before he took in a deep breath and forced a smile. “Thank you Midoriya-san. Uraraka-san.”

The three of them parted ways and Izuku boarded the bullet train to where Gran Torino would be residing. Izuku had Gran Torino’s address written down somewhere, since the bullet train would drop him off a little further away from the man’s house. 

Kasumi had decided to accompany Izuku physically and they stopped at a ransacked building. The bricked wall was dark and spray paint was strewn and drawn all over it. 

“So…,” Kasumi started. “This is the house. Izuku-sama. What do you think of Gran Torino? All Might seemed...I dare say scared of this man.”

“If Gran Torino really was that bad, I don’t think All Might would let me know he sent an offer. Maybe he’s just like Aizawa-sensei or something.”

Kasumi nodded and they ascended the steps. Izuku hovered his fist over the door before knocking it with his knuckles. Silence descended down upon the two of them.

“Knock again,” Kasumi urged. Izuku obliged and knocked the door again...still no answer. They waited before Kasumi decided to test the handle. Strangely enough it was unlocked. Kasumi and Izuku stopped before sharing a glance. Izuku and nodded taking in a deep breath. They had their suspicions filled with horror and Kasumi pushed the door open. Izuku tensed as the door swung all the way open. Their eyes widened.

There on the floor...on a pool of what they assumed blood was an elderly man in a hero suit. 

“S-Sir?!” Kasumi rushed to the man. “Izuku-sama! Call the ambulance!”

Izuku fumbled with his phone and dialed the hospital. 

“Sir?” Kasumi asked rolling the man over and hovering a hand over the elder. “Can you hear me? Can you speak?”

Green light began to emanate from her hand...before the elder jerked upwards suddenly. Kasumi...who hadn’t expected it stumbled backwards and let out a terrified scream. 

This man had the nerve to be smiling. “I’m alive!”

Izuku stopped...his finger hovering over the call button. “Alive?!”

“A-Alive?” Kasumi repeated. Izuku remembered, Kasumi was never fond of horror stories and this scene was basically something ripped out of a horror film. Izuku trudged over to the Soul Guardian and placed a hand on her shoulder. 

“Are you okay Kasumi?”

“I think I might need to have a moment, Izuku-sama.”

The man lifted himself off the floor, revealing a plate of sausages. Once he explained it was a trick he liked playing on visitors, he turned to Izuku.

“Who are you?”

Izuku was taken aback. “I’m Midoriya Izuku! You’re Gran Torino, right?”

The elderly man nodded. “Toshinori?”

Izuku was so close to facepalming. “Midoriya Izuku!” he repeated louder. He knew that this man was probably old, seeing as he was All Might’s previous teacher. But Izuku didn’t expect him to be like this.

“Eh?”

Izuku facepalmed this time. The man plopped down on the floor again, dropping his cane. Izuku sighed as he looked over to the Soul Guardian who was sitting on the couch with her hands folded on her lap. Her head was hung low in shame. It was probably embarrassing for Kasumi to be absolutely terrified by a prank. Izuku looked over to see that Gran Torino was putting some Takoyaki into the microwave before turning to the greenette. 

“Well, anyways let’s get down to business.”

Izuku was a bit startled. The man was playing a prank and seemed to be enjoying himself a minute prior before he was completely serious and ready to get to work. “So you’ve heard that I was All Might’s teacher, right?”

“Y-Yes,” Izuku nodded. The man grinned before patting his knee.

“Well, it seems that Toshinori taught you well! You’re able to use One For All pretty efficiently and not have much risk.”

“Actually,” Izuku corrected. “It was Kasumi who taught me. She was the one who suggested how to use One For All like this, and I had improved this to the best of my ability. Right now I’m stuck at using One For All at 5%...but I think I should dial up the power output a little bit...maybe 10%?”

Kasumi was still in her petrified form and Gran Torino stared at her and blinked. “Oh...I see so Toshinori did nothing?”

Kasumi finally snapped out of her trance and shook her head. “Well, he did help us in terms of inspiring us in trying to get to our best. Izuku-sama and I work on every break we have and try to improve our techniques and Quirks!”

Gran Torino stopped before he started grinding his teeth angrily. The two others were confused as to why he was acting this way. “Toshinori. Even when he’s the No. 1 hero he left his successor to teach himself how to use One For All?!”

Izuku flinched when Gran Torino threw his stick against the ground. “Anyways, let’s see how well you do. Come and fight me.”

One moment he was there, and next he was flying all over the place. 

“Izuku-sama!” Kasumi glowed a pale green. The same pale green aura shrouded the greenette and his sight was heightened. He could at least the trail that Gran Torino left behind, but he couldn’t pinpoint where exactly where he was going. He was hit on the back and Izuku stumbled forwards.

“Don’t just stand there!”

Kasumi and Izuku looked at each before nodding. Kasumi raised her staff into the air and Gran Torino’s speed was significantly decreased enough for Izuku to predict where was going. Gran Torino burst forward before Izuku sidestepped out of the way. One For All crackled around him and was the emerald energy was infused with the pale green one. Then, immediately he disappeared in a flash. Kasumi fed Izuku the stability he needed to push past the 5% mark and stop at 7%. He was significantly faster than before and Izuku took only a few seconds to be adjusted to it. They bounced around the room and Izuku kept Gran Torino from even touching the Soul Guardian, before he punched forward in the air creating a maelstrom of wind that surprised even Gran Torino. Izuku used the wall as a launch pad and shot forwards grabbing his feet and blocking them in a hug against his chest. They plopped down on a couch that was below them.

“You...caught me.”

“I experimented with 7%,” Izuku replied. “Thankfully I didn’t break my bones. I have Kasumi to thank for that.”

The Soul Guardian nodded and smiled and the compliment, and she strode forward. The greenette was oblivious to the fact that Gran Torino was raising his cane and would’ve slammed it against Izuku’s head if it wasn’t blocked promptly by Kasumi.

“Well,” Gran Torino said noticing as how Izuku blocked his feet off and kept him from moving too fast. “I will give it to the two of you, that you are very clever.”

Izuku finally let go of Gran Torino’s legs and he nodded in the duo’s direction. “Well I guess we better start working on how to go past your 5% and improve your 7% and reach your goal of 10%.”

Gran Torino had asked for how Kasumi had trained Izuku, and she gladly gave her input. She had Izuku meditating to try and distribute the power evenly and then over and over again so he could have a feel and get used to it. After that once they deemed it safe enough, he was given the time to work with the power in combat and the efforts were satisfying. By the time the day was done, Izuku had gone up to 7% without needing Kasumi’s extra assistance. There was still room for more improvements, but that would be for the next day. 

***

“I apologize for coming without further notice, All Might.” Tsukauchi sat down, placing his file on the table. All Might waved him off, taking a sip from his cup of tea. “Don’t worry, Tsukauchi-kun. What information did you receive?”

“At the USJ, there was one villain amongst them. Nomu, if I remember correctly. We ran tests a couple tests on Nomu.”

“What kind of tests?” All Might set down his cup of tea.

“DNA tests. Since you aren’t apart of this investigation, I’m technically leaking information. But I felt as though this needed to be discussed with you.” Tsukauchi clasped his hands together. “What we received may bring us closer to the mastermind behind the league.”

All Might made a surprised noise. Tsukauchi continued. “We realized that Nomu couldn’t speak at all. He didn’t react to anything either, not even a blink. It was as if he was in a catatonic state. We also discovered his true identity.”

Tsukauchi pulled out a photo and slid it on the table. The picture displayed an average guy with an abnormally large mouth. “He was your average thug. His record showed reports of gang violence and assault.”

All Might was filled with doubt as he glanced over the man. “How would this give us a lead to the mastermind?”

Tsukauchi leaned in. “According to our tests, there was DNA from four people inside of the thug.”

All Might massaged the bridge of his nose. “Four different people? Was he even human?”

Tsukauchi shrugged. “His body seemed as it was tampered with several times over. To really put it short, the thug’s body was altered so he could obtain multiple quirks at once.” Tsukauchi glanced up at All Might.

“I don’t want to say it, but I believe you may have an idea. There’s really no way this thug and the DNA of four others was naturally put together. Being a holder of One For All, you realize what this means, correct?”

All Might lifted himself off of the couch, feet bringing him to the window. There was only one reasonable explanation for that.

“Has he started moving again?” he muttered, glaring out the window. “Impossible...”

There really should be no way he survived the fight. From the damage All Might delivered, he should’ve been dead by now. But somewhere, somehow, that man was being kept alive.

***

The next day Kasumi was quietly sitting on the table watching the news. There were reports with how the Hero Killer, Stain was going around the town of Hosu terrorizing people and picking off heroes who were deemed ‘fake.’ 

“Is this the same guy that hurt Ingenium?” Izuku asked as he sat beside Kasumi. Kasumi nodded and sighed. 

“He’s at Hosu where Iida-san was having his internship. I just hope that Iida-san doesn’t do anything reckless out of grief.”

Izuku nodded before looking up at the ceiling.

“Izuku-sama?” 

Izuku looked at the Soul Guardian from the corner of his eye. “I think we should practice calling each other by our hero’s name. It may seem be a bit insignificant and useless, but we should get ahold of every aspect of being a hero, even if they are very small things.”

Izuku nodded in agreement. “Then can I just call you Fan? Cause Fan la Norne is a little bit of a mouthful.”

“Yes you can...Deku-sama.”

***

The rest of the day Kasumi and Izuku busied themselves with working on trying to get One For All to 10%. They managed to get to 9% by the afternoon. A satisfying result, but they still strived for that one last one percent, but…

“We’re going patrolling!” Gran Torino announced that evening. It wasn’t too dark out, but the sun was about to set. Kasumi and Izuku looked up from their meditating position on the floor and tilted their heads in confusion. Almost in synchronization. 

“Now?” Izuku questioned nervously.

“Why not? If you only fight against me, you’ll never get experienced. This is an internship, is it not?” Gran Torino hopped down the stairs and began to stroll down the sidewalk. Izuku hesitantly hurried after the man, Kasumi hustling by his side.

“You’re quite right, sir, but I don’t think I’m ready enough.” Izuku sighed, releasing an anxious breath.

Gran Torino’s cane clacked against the ground. “You’ve already fought against villains. Plus, we’re not doing anything wild, kid. Just patrolling the area.”

Gran Torino waved down a cab. “Since the population in this place, there’s rarely any crime these days,” the man explained once all three of them were inside. “So we’re going to Shibuya. Lots of trouble is around there.”

“In Tokyo?! I can’t go there looking like this!” Izuku gestured to his costume, face heating up.

“Is my design not to your fitting?” Kasumi asked. “You can always ask me to modify the initial design for you.”

Gran Torino sighed.

“Doesn’t matter! You’re showing it off in such a nice place. Don’t worry. Besides! Don’t think I didn’t notice that bunny bracelet!”

Izuku was flustered but he tried pushing the feeling away as he thought for a moment. “We’ll take a bullet train there, then?” Gran Torino nodded.

“From Kofu towards Shinjuku.”

Izuku glanced out the window, dropping the conversation. If they were heading there, they’d pass through Hosu. Iida was interning in Hosu, and a couple other of his friends were near there. Izuku wondered how Iida was doing, since he hasn’t gotten ahold of the boy since the other day.

Izuku and Gran Torino sat next to each other on the bullet train. Izuku sat on the inside facing the window. Kasumi was residing within Izuku with how they didn’t want to waste money on a third ticket. They were near Hosu City now, and the train wouldn’t arrive to Shibuya until later. Gran Torino claimed there’d be more troublemakers out then, so it was fine.

Izuku pulled out his phone to see if Iida had responded. There was a new text message, but it was from the class group chat, not Iida himself. The bespectacled boy had left Izuku on read.

Usually, Iida would reply within a few minutes. Izuku had sent the text almost an hour ago. Izuku frowned, locking his phone.

“Hey, look over there! Some building exploded!”

Izuku jolted. He stood, trying to catch what the other passenger was talking about. He looked out and his eyes widened in horror. Sure enough, buildings in the city were set aflame and even behind the window of the train, he could hear the screams of the civilians as they ran about trying to escape. 

Something crashed through the side of the train, jolting the whole vehicle. A hero Izuku didn’t recognize, and some large villain had both slammed into the bullet train.

The hero looked up at the large villain and swore at it. The villain grabbed the man’s head and slammed it into the ground. The villain pulled the hole in the train open more, revealing their face.

“Nomu?!” Izuku cried, taking a step back. Gran Torino got up and bounced off the side of the train and slammed into Nomu’s side. The man did it again, this time forcing both himself and the Nomu out of the train and outside.

“Gran Torino!” Izuku called, jumping over his seat and peering outside.

The figure of the Nomu and Gran Torino faded out in the distance and Izuku ran over to the gaping hole at the side of the train.

“Hey, kid! It’s too dangerous!!”

Izuku turned around to see that the conductor was there but he hesitated when he saw Izuku’s face. “Midoriya Izuku from U.A.?”

The man’s hesitance was enough for Izuku to activate One For All at a comfortable 5% before he launched himself out of the train and towards where he last saw Gran Torino heading. 

“This is bad,” Izuku muttered. Pale green light formed next to him and conjured his Soul Guardian. Kasumi looked around worried and gripped her staff close to her chest. 

“We have to find Gran Torino!” Kasumi said. Izuku nodded and he sprinted ahead with One For All ebbing through his veins. Kasumi was hot on his heels, the wind propelling her at nearly the same speed as Izuku. There was a crowd running in the opposite direction of him.

“Tenya-kun! Tenya-kun!” Izuku stopped in his tracks, nearly lurching forward.

Iida?

Izuku ran into the alley closest to him, following the source of the voice. If this person was calling Iida’s name, had he gone missing? Did Iida run off?

Izuku ran out of the alleyway, stopping in his tracks once he left. A bus flipped over and exploded in front of him, blowing him back a bit. He swore under his breath, shielding his face from the explosion. A hero was knocked to the side in front of him.

A group of heroes were gathered in front of Izuku. There were two other Nomus in sight, which the heroes were trying, and evidently failing, to control. A man pulled off a fire hydrant and ordered pro hero Manual to put the fire out.

Manual was who Iida was interning with. Izuku hesitated for a moment before starting to move. Manual should know where Iida was!

“Damnit Tenya-kun! Running off at a time like this...!” Izuku stopped in his tracks. Kasumi had almost run into him if a massive headwind pushed her before she could slam into Izuku.

“Kids, you’re in the way! Evacuate quickly, this job is for the pros!” A hero stood in front of Izuku, shielding him. Izuku took a few steps back, almost falling into the wall.

So Iida had run off in a crisis like this? He wasn’t one to do something like that, especially when the city was like this.

“Iida-kun...Hosu City...the hero killer is in Hosu...” Kasumi tried informing Izuku over the uproar of the flames. Izuku’s eyes widened with his realization.

No...

Izuku turned on his heel and ran into the nearest alley. Activating Full Cowling once again, he kept sprinting, head spinning. He couldn’t be wrong about this. Stain was also in this city, and if anything, Iida would try to get vengeance on the hero killer.

Izuku jumped up and bounced off the sides of the buildings, flying up and over. His ears were open, sensitive to any noise possible. Kasumi followed dutifully scanning the area...before she stopped and knelt down touching the dark ground.

“What is it?” Izuku stopped and landed next to the Soul Guardian.

“These tracks,” Kasumi looked up into the direction of the dark alleyway. “These are Iida-san’s! We have to hurry! If we don’t find him before he finds the Hero Killer, he’ll get killed!”

On the grim note, the duo sprinted with Kasumi taking the lead. Turning sharp corners and keeping their eyes peeled in order to find the younger brother of Ingenium.

“You’re just an offering to a more just world.”

They finally caught sight of the Hero Killer poised on killing Iida, who was on the floor and Izuku gritted his teeth. “Fan!”

“Yes! Deku-sama!”

The greenette jumped and planted his feet on Kasumi’s staff. The Soul Guardian pushed forward as the greenette used the staff as a launchpad. He rocketed forward and powered up past 5% and eased himself at 7%. He punched forward and the blow was a lot more stronger than how he was used to. Stain was knocked out of the way as Izuku flipped and landed on his feet in front of Iida.

“M-Midoriya?”

“Please do not speak, Iida-san!” Kasumi ran forward and stopped at the paralyzed student. She placed a hand over his neck and stopped the blood flow...green light emanating from her palm and healing Iida of his neck wound. 

Stain straightened himself out, but made no indication that he would attack. Izuku tore his eyes off the killer, glancing towards Iida. “Can you move at all?”

Iida grunted, barely able to form words. “N-no...he cut me before. I think...his quirk...”

“Paralyzes you,” Kasumi concluded scanning the area for a possible escape route. She took notice of a pro hero propped against the wall. “Deku-sama!”

“I know,” he replied. “We have two people we need to get out of here.”

“Midoriya-kun...don’t get involved...get away!” Iida croaked. Izuku shook his head angrily.

“How can you say that? I wouldn’t be a hero if I left you here!” Izuku shot back.

“Ah. How cliché, a friend to save you. Yet I still must fulfill my duty of killing that boy.” Stain adjusted the grip on his sword. “Get out of my way.”

Izuku glanced into the piercing gaze of the hero killer. Unlike the eyes of those at the USJ, Stain’s  were ruthless and murderous. Back then, those goons at the USJ were only in it for the money, but Stain...this was something he was serious about.

Izuku pulled out his phone from his pocket discreetly. He entered his location and hit send, silently hoping his friends would get the message. Izuku shut his cell off and slipped it back into his pocket noiselessly.

“Midoriya-kun...please, stop!” Izuku ignored Iida, getting into battle position. “This doesn’t...involve you...!” 

Kasumi was busy analyzing the hero killer’s every move, picking apart anything and everything to know what to do. Izuku grinned, readying his fists.

“Meddling when you don’t need to,” Izuku recalled All Might’s words, “is the very essence of being a hero!”

Stain grinned, his teeth gleaming in the dull moonlight. He seemed happy with something. “A true follower of All Might’s ideals. Interesting.”

Kasumi stood up and she stepped forward. “He is armed with blades, Deku-sama I’ll try to hold him off and please evacuate the others as fast you can.”

“Alright Fan,” he nodded back. He looked forward but immediately tilted his head out of the way in instinct. Right where his cheek once was, a blade had flew past.

“You have fast reflexes,” Stain observed. 

“Never mind that, Fan,” Izuku stepped forward. “We’ll both have to defend them. We can’t risk one of us turning our back to him.”

“Understood, Deku-sama.”

Izuku activated One For All and he charged forward first. Stain had anticipated the move and swung his sword out, but Izuku immediately got onto all fours narrowly avoiding the blade. Then he pushed himself upwards above Stain and punched downwards. He landed on his feet as Stain crumpled against the ground. His tongue darted out to his blade, but Kasumi had charged forward and thrusted her staff forwards, the dagger in Stain’s hands was flung by the force of Kasumi’s attack. 

“Deku-sama,” Kasumi jumped backwards before Stain could slice at her. “His Quirk works only when he ingests blood! We have to make sure that your blood is not ingested!”

“Got it!” Izuku replied rocketing forward again. He fixed his output again at 8%. At least he would be relatively safe with this level of speed. Kasumi took in a deep breath before raising her staff and spinning around. “Cloudburst!”

At least ten whirlwinds were conjured around the Hero Killer blinding his sight. Izuku ran through the dust that was picked up randomizing his movements before he got a glancing blow on Stain’s torso. The Hero Killer staggered away before slashing at Izuku’s direction and managing to get a gash on his arm.

“Deku-sama!”

Though it was to no avail. Izuku grunted as his body gave out on him suddenly and he collapsed onto the ground. Kasumi held onto her staff tightly. She concentrated on the feeling of freedom and power that Izuku would always feel when he activated One For All. 

“You weren’t strong enough. You were able to leave my field of vision and catch me off guard, but it still wasn’t strong enough.” Stain let his blade hang limply at his side, standing next to Izuku’s near crumpled form. “My duty is to rid the world of fake heroes, those who talk a dime a dozen. Yet you are worth keeping alive. The way you carry yourself is different from the others, boy.” 

Stain started to walk towards Iida, blade hanging loosely at his side and Kasumi tensed. Once she deemed it perfect enough...she sped forward with surprising speed. Stain’s eyes widened as Kasumi had seemed to disappear from her former spot and then appear right in front of him. He raised his blade just to block Kasumi’s staff. The Soul Guardian was strangely glowing an ivory color. 

“F-Fan?”

Kasumi swung her staff and their weapons locked several times on each other, before Kasumi sped backwards away from Stain’s sword range. She seemed to disappear before she appeared again, in the air rocketing towards the Hero Killer. He blocked the descending attack as the crystal blade had almost hit his head. Kasumi launched herself off twirling in the air and sending  strong gust of wind that sent him away and a hidden flying dagger away from the Pro Hero on the ground. 

“So you must be the Soul Guardian of the plain looking one,” Stain grinned. “You must be another follower of All Might’s ideals seeing as how you are connected to the green-haired. The hand guy is going around talking about the two of you like a madman.”

Kasumi and Izuku shared a glance and they came to the consensus. Draw out as much information as possible and try to stall for some Pro Heroes. 

“Shigaraki Tomura?” Kasumi hefted her staff. “So you are allied with the League of Villains?”

They began to circle each other and Stain smirked. “For some reason. I’ll take care of their leader later once I’m done with your ‘friend’ and that pro hero.”

“Why are you allied with him?” Kasumi questioned. “I wouldn’t think that the two of you were join forces with your ideals and his...lack of ideals.”

“He agreed to help me rid the fake heroes and make a just world,” Stain replied. He raised his sword and then grinned wickedly. “They started the bonfire.”

Kasumi narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips to a thin line. She took in a deep breath before eyeing Stain warily. “Pebble Storm!”

Missiles of green energy, the size of big pebbles charged forward and honed in on the Hero Killer. He slashed and darted around dodging the missiles and cutting some of them down. He raced forward towards the Soul Guardian and she would’ve fought back if it weren’t for a blitz of red hot flares that erupted forwards and sent the Hero Killer dodging. 

Shouto stood, his left side alit. He held up his phone, the glow of it barely visible.

“Midoriya. You have to be more specific in a time like this.” The boy gestured towards his cell. “I could’ve been late.”


	11. A Decisive Battle! Fate Rests in the Hands of Four!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the alleyways of Hosu City, the city where the infamous Hero Killer resides, a battle rampages on. The wind, the ice, the fire, and the brevity of wit and courage are at play. 
> 
> Todoroki finds himself at the rear guard watching as Izuku risks every fiber of his life into protecting others...even beyond the battle.
> 
> He decided...that this was an attribute of the greenette that he didn't particularly admire completely.

“S-Shouto-kun,” Izuku let out a sigh of relief. He noticed the male’s change in costume. Izuku admitted to it, he prefered this over Shouto’s old costume. At least he wouldn’t cover the other half of his face. It was a subtle detail that Izuku greatly appreciated...though he had no time to dwell on such thoughts in their current situation.

Stain let out a frustrated noise. “More and more distractions...”

Shouto stomped on the ground, attempting to trap Stain. The hero killer avoided it, jumping above the attack. Instead, the ice lifted Native and Izuku.

Shouto dove forward, blasting fire towards Stain. Simultaneously, the flames melted his own creation into an ice ramp, which the hero and Izuku slid down behind Todoroki on.

“I’m not letting you kill these guys, hero killer.” Shouto stood in his battle position. His tone wasn’t exactly angry yet, but it was nowhere near calm. Passionate, almost.

“Shouto-san,” Kasumi informed. “Please do not let him ingest your blood. He will paralyze you.”

Stain clicked his tongue in annoyance. He flung a blade at Shouto, which grazed the boy’s cheek. Using that as a distraction, the hero killer rushed forward, hailing a sword into the air. He grabbed Shouto by the collar of his costume, pulling his face forward and running his tongue along his cheek.

Shouto grunted, blasting Stain away with his fire. The sword missed, clanging onto the concrete. 

“Too close,” Shouto grumbled. He used his ice to force the hero killer back, but the man used his sharp blades to cut through the creation. The boy brought out his flames again, pushing Stain away.

“I...have to...do this...” Iida rasped quietly. “I inherited...my brother’s name...this is my duty.”

Shouto shot another unsteady burst of fire to keep Stain away. “Inherited your brother’s name? Odd. The Ingenium I knew never had a look like that on his face.”

Shouto built pillars of ice, hiding he and his companions from Stain’s vision. Izuku whimpered weakly on the ground. Kasumi was analyzing the fight, searching for any and all of Stain’s weak points.

“S-Shouto,” Izuku coughed weakly trying to get up. Izuku clenched his fist, something he couldn’t do a minute earlier. Was he able to move again? Izuku moved his hand slowly once more, observing it.

A time limit.

Stain cut through Shouto’s ice with ease. “To block a view of an opponent faster than you...foolish!”

Shouto bared his teeth, flames alighting on his left. As quickly as they arrived they disappeared. Two of Stain’s blades buried into Todoroki’s limb.

Stain had used that as a distraction, leaping up and over Native. The hero killer kept his blade pointed towards the man, a feeble attempt to rid the world of the fake.

“No!”

Kasumi raised her staff as wind flurried forward and tried to stop the Hero Killer. Though Izuku raced forward shrouded with dark emerald energy and grabbed his collar wrenching him onto the other side. 

“Midoriya!” Shouto called after the greenette as he landed on the ground and darted forwards in the air to land a punch on the Hero Killer. Kasumi tensed up with the same power flowing through her. The ivory aura wisped and flowed before she seemingly disappeared. Through her eyes she could watch everything in slow motion as she dashed forward up the ice pillar and above the Hero Killer. She wacked the flat of the crystal blade against his face and sent him away from the greenette. Izuku had landed another hit on the leg and they landed on the ground immediately glaring down the Hero Killer who was struggling to stand up.

“Shigaraki was right,” he said. “The two of you are very strong.”

“Midoriya...how?” Shouto looked at the greenette who was shrouded in an emerald aura.

“It’s based off blood type is it not, Deku-sama?”

“Blood type?” Native piped up for the first time. “I’m type B...”

“I’m A,” Iida responded.

Stain clicked his tongue and grinned evilly. “Blood type is right, girl. You’re smart.”

Izuku turned around all the way. “Knowing about his quirk really doesn’t do much for us.”

Shouto glanced at Izuku from the corner of his eye. “Right. I would have liked to get those two out of here and get away, but it doesn’t look like it’ll come to that. The most we can do right now is hold out until the pros get here.”

Izuku eyed Shouto’s injuries and looked at Kasumi. The Soul Guardian jogged over to the male’s side and held out her hand to heal him. “You’ve bled too much. I’ll get in close, and you’ll support me from the back. It’s all we can do for now.”

Todoroki was silent for a moment. “That’s dangerous...but I can do that. Will you be fine like that?”

Izuku shrugged. “Right now, I’m two people in one.” He smiled at Kasumi’s direction who nodded in response. 

She had finally finished healing Shouto and turned around to join Izuku. “Deku-sama. Shall we?”

Izuku nodded back as Kasumi handed her staff and the greenette glanced at Iida once at the corner of his eyes before he powered up to 9% with One For All: Full Cowling. He sprinted forwards and met Stain’s blades before vaulting away and twirling to slash the crystal blade forward. It cleaved through the katanas like butter thanks to One For All. 

_ Iida, I’ve been worried about you since I heard the news about your brother. The face you made back then at the station, the look in your eyes, it reminded me all too well of myself. I personally know what the face of someone built on pent-up resentment looks like. _

Izuku bounced off a wall and swung the staff towards Stain, just barely missing. The hero killer swung his blade, but Shouto defended Izuku with his ice.

_ After the festival, I went to visit mom. I had told her everything about what happened. I even told her all the harsh things I said to Midoriya and what he told me. Somehow, she was still really happy to see me. She accepted me with a assuaging smile and told me she missed me too. _

“Fan!”

“Understood!”

Kasumi leaped into the air as she caught the staff that was spiraled at her direction. Her staff glowed with a green sheen as it floated out of her hands and she spun, the weapon following her arm. 

_ The old me probably wouldn’t even be here right now. A month ago, if Midoriya texted me his location at random, I’d probably have just ignored it and continued with my day. The old me wouldn’t have thought twice about that indirect cry for help. Yet somehow, just those few words changed my outlook on life. And if it weren’t for Midoriya being so persistent back then, I can’t help but think you’d both be dead by now. _

A blitz of flares erupted forward and kept Stain from getting close to Izuku. He smiled gratefully at Shouto who felt his heart skip a beat, but he needed to concentrate. The air around Kasumi rippled as she grabbed her staff and then jumped forwards spinning. “Porcelain Cyclone!”

Stain was knocked backwards from the full weight of Kasumi’s efforts and the cyclone stopped around Kasumi before she leaped backwards and sent an X-slash of wind that pierced through the air. 

“Please...” Iida pleaded from the ground. “...stop, I can’t...”

Shouto knit his brows together. “If you want us to stop so badly, stand the hell up!” He shot more flames past Stain, attempting to keep the man at bay.

Shouto shot large pillars of ice at Stain, hiding he and Iida behind it. Iida sobbed from beside half-quirked, whispering unintelligibly to himself. Stain had dodged both attacks and shifted his attention to Shouto. Stain slashed through Shouto’s creation, slicing the ice to pieces. The hero killer dodged the next bout of ice, flying over it.

The male shot fire towards Stain, trying to force him away.

The fire didn’t stop Stain for long. His blade was withdrawn in front of him. The hero killer dove at Shouto again, once again having to dodge Shouto’s flames. He got close and was about to hit Shouto if it weren’t for green colored wind that made resembled a ball positioned around Shouto. The Hero Killer was forced to leap away to dodge a blitz of violent flares. Shouto nodded gratefully at Kasumi who had her staff raised and hefted at their direction. 

_ I set my sights on becoming a hero because of my older brother, Ingenium. What kind of hero am I if my friends had to bleed for me? What kind of hero am I if I can’t see what’s around me? _

Iida began to feel the feeling returning in his hand. He clawed at the ground in a weak attempt to make a fist.

“Right!” Izuku called. Stain dove to the right of Shouto, the boy directing flames at him a moment later. Stain rebounded off the boy’s ice and hopped away.

Stain ran through Shouto’s ice creations, approaching the boy. The other sent a jet of flames in front of him, which Stain avoided with ease. “Ice and flames!”

Shouto bared his teeth. “Dodge this!”

He formed pillars over pillars of ice, all trying to stop and slow Stain in his tracks. The hero killer persisted, jumping through and avoiding all of them. “You rely too much on your quirk! It’s foolish!”

Izuku’s eyes widened. “Stop it!”

Kasumi gritted her teeth. Due to Shouto’s ice quirk, they weren’t in an position to be able to stop the horror that would come next. Izuku charged forward, desperate to stop what was coming next. Stain’s blade was held upright. If he got any closer, he’d cut Todoroki’s left arm clean off. 

“Shouto-kun!” Izuku cried, attempting to move. He struggled to get over the ice. 

_ I have to stand now...I’ll never, ever become a hero. I’ll never catch up... _

Iida forced himself up off the ground. His engines revved and fired up. “Recipro...”

“BURST!”

Izuku recognized that move from the cavalry battle. Iida moved at an insane speed, kicking Stain off and away from the male. Izuku let a relieved smile show. “Iida-kun!”

Iida bent over, facing the concrete. “Midoriya-kun, Todoroki-kun, I apologize.”

Izuku scrunched up his nose. “Don’t say that, Iida-kun.”

Iida finally stood all the way up. “I won’t allow either of you to bleed any more.” Iida’s face was pulled into a grimace, brows tilted angrily and eyes narrowed.

Stain towered ominously several feet away from Izuku, holding half of a blade. The other half had been broken off by Iida. “A fake show in changing your ways for appearance? A person doesn’t change so easily. You are still a fake that acts on personal grudges and cannot see those around you. You are not a hero.”

Shouto glowered at the hero killer. “You are a man living by strict and murderous ideals. Don’t listen to him, Iida.”

Iida shook his head. Blood dripped from the wound on his bicep. “Yet he’s right. I have no reason to call myself a hero. Even so...I will not allow myself to give in. I will not allow Ingenium to die.”

Stain’s eyes glowed a furious red. “Out of the question.” Before he could attack, Shouto pushed Iida back and shot a stream of flames at the man.

Native cursed from the ground. “He isn’t after you and that other kid! Stop fighting and run away!”

“He won’t let us,” Shouto uttered. “Something about him changed now. He’s embarrassed about the mistakes he’s been making.”

Stain jumped off the wall and landed on one of Shouto creations by Izuku. The greenette flinched and froze but Shouto shot more ice at the hero killer, but the man dodged and leapt away. Kasumi sent a gale of wind that buffeted the Hero Killer against the wall of a building and Izuku finally got proper footing on the ice and then rocketed upwards with One For All flowing through his veins. 

Kasumi followed up the gale with a bunch of bullets that had slammed into the building, but the Hero Killer avoided all of them only to be punched in the gut by Izuku. Kasumi leaped into the air and rebounded Stain like a baseball and swung her staff like a bat. 

Iida tried to rev his engines again, only to find it a useless attempt. The radiator must have broke when he kicked away Stain.

“Todoroki-kun!” Iida called at the boy. “Can you regulate temperature?” Todoroki glanced at Iida from the corner of his eye.

“Not well with my left. What is it?”

“Freeze my legs without plugging the exhaust!”

Todoroki glanced towards Iida. Stain jumped up and pulled a blade, flinging it at the male. Iida pushed the boy out of the way, taking the hit instead.

“Iida-kun!” Izuku cried, turning his whole body to face the injured male. 

“Deku-sama!” Kasumi yelled in warning. He looked to see that Stain had threw a knife and it had embedded itself on Izuku’s leg. He yelled out falling onto the ground. He whimpered like a kicked puppy as he clasped the hilt and pulled it out as fast as he could. Kasumi spun her staff and raised the crystal arch into the air. 

“The Wind of Healing is here!”

The air pulsed with green light and the other U.A. students were healed promptly of their wounds. The fire blew away the Hero Killer as Todoroki shifted his focus on Iida. “Hurry up!”

Izuku pulled himself to his feet, leaning against the wall.

“Deku-sama? Are you healed?” Kasumi asked concerned. He rubbed where his wound was tenderly. It was a bit sore and would mess with mobility, but at least he could move. He pushed beyond his 9% and tried to grit through the rebound of 10%. 

Todoroki shot fire over and over at the approaching hero killer, attempting to keep him at bay. The hero killer avoided every time, but it was the most the man could do. Todoroki gave him no time to do anything but dodge.

Izuku leapt forward at the same time as Iida, both aiming to land a hit on their opponent. Izuku bounced off Todoroki’s piece of ice, the power of One For All driving him forward.

Izuku landed the hit first. His right fist connected with Stain’s face. Iida’s leg slammed into the hero killer’s side, essentially twisting the hero killer’s body. Izuku fell, gripping his arm. It ached uncomfortably, as if he’d released too much power. Stain’s eyes opened. The man reached for his blade, swinging it at Izuku. He missed, slicing the air above the boy’s head.

“I will defeat you!” Iida reared his leg back once more, engines revving.

“Keep going!” Kasumi instructed, her winds picking up and boosting Iida upwards.

Iida kicked Stain in the side, propelling him up. A moment later, Todoroki’s flames came, blasting the hero killer. 

Todoroki lunged forward and caught Izuku who seemed to be panicking before he was caught by the male. He immediately grabbed Shouto’s shirt and buried his face into his chest instinctively trying to calm himself down. 

Todoroki trapped Stain in the ice immediately after. Iida slid down Todoroki’s ramp. “Come on!” the icy hot boy ordered. “We have to-!”

Todoroki stopped mid-sentence. The hero killer was encased partially in Todoroki’s ice pillar, but he was also unconscious. He made no move to slash or swing his way free.

The half-quirked boy let out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding... Kasumi climbed up the ice and assessed the Hero Killer. “He’s unconscious Shouto-san. I suggest that we secure him and disarm him of all weapons.”

The said boy nodded and he realized the full weight of what he was doing. He was carrying Izuku bridal style, and the greenette was currently burying his face into his chest. His left side would’ve burst into flames if it weren’t for his already established control. Izuku was barely aware of the current situation, but he didn’t care. He was comfortable being held close to Todoroki like this. Shouto coughed awkwardly and Izuku looked up hesitantly. He noticed that the male’s face was crimson and Izuku immediately eased himself off. “S-Sorry, Shouto-kun!”

Kasumi smiled at the duo’s direction. They would make a cute couple, she decided. She took in a deep breath and broke the air of awkwardness. “Izuku-sama. If you would allow me to go and take residence.”

“Y-Yeah!” Izuku turned and nodded. “Thanks Kasumi.”

Kasumi folded her hands and dipped her head forwards in respect. She disappeared into a green light that floated forwards and entered Izuku’s chest. 

Todoroki and Iida got rid of all of Stain’s blades, setting them down on the ground. Todoroki was busy tying the hero killer up, while Izuku was talking with Native. “Can you move?”

Native nodded, stretching his arms. “I’m fine.” He lifted Izuku up on his back, carrying the boy. “Eh?”

Native straightened up. 

“You got your leg cut up, didn’t you? Let me help a little.” Izuku nodded, shutting his eyes. Native started to walk out to the valley, carrying the small boy on his back.

Todoroki finished tying up Stain. “There’s a lot of strange things in garbage bags,” the boy commented, tugging the rope connected to Stain’s binds.

“I’ll pull it,” Iida offered, reaching for the rope. Todoroki pulled his arm away. 

“No. Your arms are messed up. I’m doing it.” Todoroki turned and began to drag Stain out of the alley behind him.

“I’m sorry,” Native started. “I’m a pro, but there really wasn’t much I could do for you guys.” Izuku leaned into the hero’s hair, face buried into the man’s shoulder.

“It’s fine,” Izuku mumbled. “I don’t think anyone in your position would’ve been able to do anything.”

Todoroki’s eyes fell on Izuku. “Even if it was four of us against him, we barely got out of it. He forgot about Midoriya’s time, and that other hero caught him by surprise. The guy also couldn’t deal with Iida’s last move either. He also basically ignored Kasumi completely.”

The five of them emerged out of the dark alleyway and stepped onto the dimly-lit streets. Native let down Izuku and the greenette stumbled and leaned against Shouto, much to the male’s dismay.

“Hey, kid! What are you doing!” Izuku looked up to see that Gran Torino was across the street. 

“Gran Torino?”

Izuku’s face was met with the soles of Gran Torino’s boot. “I told you to stay back!” the man barked angrily. Iida and Todoroki watched the interaction in surprise.

“Who’s that?”

Izuku squirmed and tried steadying himself against Shouto. “Gran Torino is the hero I’m interning with.” Izuku turned his attention back to the fuming old man. “How’d you know to come here?”

Gran Torino sighed. “Someone told me to come here. I don’t know what happened, but at least you’re fine.”

Izuku groaned, letting his head fall back onto Shouto’s shoulder. He mumbled an apology to the elderly man, rolling his head to the side to look at Todoroki.

“Around here!” a female voice called out. The sound of footsteps sounded throughout the empty street, until the six of them were met with more heroes.

“Endeavor-san told us to come here, but it looks like there’s no problem,” one of the heroes said, observing the area.

“Children?! You’re all injured too!”

A hero with a microphone for a head glanced at a tied-up Stain. “That’s...that’s the hero killer?!” The woman next to him gasped as her eyes fell on the villain. “Call the police!”

“Can you move?” Shouto whispered tenderly.

Izuku nodded, twisting around to look at his friends. 

“Iida-kun is injured, and is bleeding badly,” the boy informed, gesturing towards his friend.

Iida approached, ignoring the frantic hero behind him. “Midoriya-kun, Todoroki-kun.” The two boys reeled around to face Iida. The bespectacled boy bowed pathetically, head hanging low. “I’m sorry, you two. I was so frustrated...I couldn’t see anything...and I allowed the two of you to get hurt.”

A tear slipped down Iida’s face. Izuku’s expression softened as he faced his companion. “I’m sorry too, Iida-kun. Even though you felt so miserable, there was nothing I could do for you. Even though you’re my friend...” Izuku’s voice wavered dangerously, sounding like he was about to cry too.

Iida let out a choked sob. Todoroki’s expression softened as well, a somber look on his face. “You’re class rep, Iida. Pull yourself together.” It wasn’t said in an insulting or menacing way at all, just put as blunt comfort. Iida humphed, wiping his eyes with his shoulder.

“ _ Izuku-sama! Exercise extreme caution!!! _ ”

Izuku caught sight of a figure flying through the air. He immediately pushed Todoroki out of the way with all the strength he had. “GET DOWN!!!”

The winged Nomu grasped onto Izuku’s sides with his claws, tearing him away from his friends. Todoroki’s head snapped up as he watched his friend be snatched away by the creature.

“MIDORIYA!!!”

A splatter of blood landed on one of the heroes’ cheek. A tongue darted out and licked it off, paralyzing the victim. Todoroki flinched and drew back. Stain was standing there with a gleam in his eyes.

“He got free?”

The winged Nomu started to fall, Izuku still in it’s grasps. Stain started to sprint forward, shucking off his binds in the process. He had hidden a blade.

The hero killer pulled his blade forward, slamming it into the Nomu’s exposed brain. The trio slammed into the concrete as Stain took the creature down.

“Cancer of society...overgrown with fake heroes and mindless villains...all of them shall be murdered in cold blood...” Stain rasped, driving his knife into the Nomu’s brain once again. Izuku squirmed, attempting to free himself of the hero killer’s grasp.

Stain ripped through the organ, tearing it apart. Blood splattered onto the concrete. Izuku felt nausea well up inside of him, threatening to spill if he dare open his mouth.

Stain let go of Izuku, leaning down to lick up the pile of Nomu blood. Izuku gagged, attempting to pull himself away. His limbs were too shaky and weak to get anywhere anyway.

“He saved that boy?” one of the heroes murmured, taking a step forward.

“No, idiot! He just killed that other guy! What’s to say he won’t kill the boy too?”

Todoroki shuddered at the thought.

“What are you all doing standing around?”

Stain glanced over at a trembling Izuku. “You were the one that man wanted,” the hero killer commented, smacking his lips. “I can see why he would want to. You really are one of a kind.”

Izuku shivered as the Hero Killer stepped forward. Kasumi’s wind ripped around him trying to drive the killer away. He recollected what Kasumi had drawn out from the Hero Killer. He was in alliance with the League of Villains and their leader Shigaraki said that his ‘Sensei’ wanted to do something with his Quirk and Kasumi.

“Endeavor-san! How were things for you?” a hero called, head swiveling to the hero. Endeavor made a disapproving noise. “Fine. Things were rough, but fine.”

Endeavor squinted, focusing on the hero killer. “That man...?”

Stain turned his piercing gaze away from the boy on the ground, glaring back at Endeavor. His mask slipped off, revealing his true face.

“Endeavor.”

Endeavor’s flames burst up, but Gran Torino stopped him. “Don’t, Todoroki! The boy!”

Stain let go of Izuku, turning around and standing up. His mask had fell off, no longer hiding his true appearance. Stain took a step forward, approaching Endeavor. “Another fake...”

The hero killer’s eyes paralyzed the group. “I must...make everything right...” Stain took another agonizing step forward. “They must be purged...I’ll take back the meaning...of hero!”

Stain stomped his boot on the ground, drool and blood slipping down his chin. “Come get me, fakes! Only the true hero can kill me! All Might!”

Izuku felt his head go light. A hero fell to the ground, collapsing in fear. Even Endeavor looked apprehensive. Iida and Todoroki looked terrified.

One of Stain’s blades fell from his grip. He stopped his advances, his eyes went blank and his jaw slack.

“He’s unconscious...” Endeavor murmured. Gran Torino repeated it, shaking his head. Iida and Todoroki hit the ground behind the elderly hero.

Izuku’s eyes went blank. He tried to suck in a breath, only for it to be stopped midway. He leaned over, away from the dead Nomu, and hurled. Izuku coughed up the contents of his stomach, his throat burning and eyes watering.

Izuku’s ears picked up on the sound of people approaching. He choked on his own vomit, bile burning his throat. A hand caressed his back slowly, supporting.

Once there was nothing left in his system, Izuku collapsed. His eyes were screwed shut in fear, and his head felt very heavy. Everything was quiet for a moment. There was a sound of shuffling, someone plopping down on the concrete.

Todoroki glanced down at Midoriya, retracting his hand. He was no longer glowing pale green, assumed to be unconscious. Todoroki had been worried that Stain would’ve hurt his friend, but he had been hesitant in reacting. Todoroki looked back up, meeting Iida’s gaze. They nodded at each other, an unspoken agreement.

Midoriya’s breathing evened out. Todoroki moved him away from the boy’s own vomit, grimacing at the sight and smell. Iida stood above them, a hand offered to Todoroki to pull himself up. Todoroki looked up, zeroing in on the limb.

The dual-haired boy leaned forward, grabbing onto Iida’s hand and heaving himself to his feet. He was about to lean over and gather Midoriya in his arms when he heard Izuku mumble. 

“S-Shouto-kun?”

“I’m here,” Shouto replied a bit unnerved at how he formerly thought that Izuku was unconscious. “You don’t have to worry.”

“T-Thank you,” Izuku mumbled drowsily.


	12. The Aftermath of Surviving a Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a heated battle at the deep alleyways of Hosu City, the four protagonists find themselves at the potential subjects of ridicule by law if they're actions were publicized. After an argument that goes from depressingly negative to positive, the four find themselves at U.A. to display the improvements made from their internships. 
> 
> The future is bright for Kasumi and Izuku...until ironically the Symbol of Peace darkens it.

When Izuku had awoken, it was at least 5:00 in the morning, the sun wasn’t up and the room was blanketed with thick silence. Izuku moved his aching limbs and pressed a hand over his chest. Kasumi didn’t respond…it signified that the Soul Guardian was still asleep.

“Oh, Midoriya, you’re up.”

Izuku turned his head, brushing his ear against the soft pillow to look at Todoroki. He was sitting on the bed in a hospital gown. His face was illuminated by the white electronic light of his phone. His grey and blue eyes peering at him with underlying traces of concern. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Izuku shook his head pushing himself into a better position. He winced when he felt pain wash over his arm. He looked to see that it was in a brace.

“They said that your bones were fractured in two different places,” Todoroki informed getting off his own bed and walking over silently and sitting down at Izuku’s bed. “How’s Kasumi?”

“She’s sleeping,” Izuku replied. “She’s fine. What are you doing up early in the morning?”

Todoroki blinked before coughing awkwardly and looking out the window...as if he was contemplating life. “I was just thinking about earlier. If I hadn’t understood your message from before...then you and Iida would’ve been killed.”

Izuku blinked before reaching out and placing a hand over Todoroki’s warm one. “But you understood it. You came and saved the three of us. Thank you for that. I’m really glad you came.”

Todoroki blinked and Izuku didn’t not believe the expression that graced his features next. “Yeah, I’m glad too.”

Izuku blinked and looked around frantically. “Midoriya, what are you looking for?”

“My phone!”

“Why do you need your phone?” 

Izuku looked at him with a shocked expression. “You were smiling! I need to have recorded proof of that!”

Todoroki blinked...the former expression was long gone. “I...was?”

Izuku choked on the air, if that was even possible, and stared up at the male incredulously. “You are really unbelievable.”

Todoroki didn't question anything else and Izuku finally fished out his phone. They spent the rest of the time before Iida woke up, scrolling through their respective phones checking the Class A chat. Iida finally got up at almost the time the sun was beginning to raise into the sky. 

“Good morning,” Iida greeted groggily reaching and groping for his glasses.

“Good morning,” the other two replied in unison...though it created a chain event which left the two of them blushing at how they said two simple words together. 

“You two are up early,” Iida remarked putting on his glasses. He straightened himself on the headboard of the his hospital bed. “Did something wake the two of you.”

Izuku cracked his knuckles. “I woke up to thinking about things, we did do something amazing last night.”

“You’re right.”

Izuku pouted up at the ceiling. “Something like that...it’s really a miracle that we survived. But we did.” He glanced down at his bandaged limbs. “With our injuries, he should’ve killed us easily. Yet I wonder why he didn’t.”

Todoroki scrutinized his left arm. “He left us alive on purpose then.”

Izuku opened his mouth to respond, but the door slid open. In walked Gran Torino and Manual.

“The troublemakers are awake,” Gran Torino commented bitterly. Manual tried to give the three boys a welcoming smile, but it was wobbly. Izuku muttered a “good morning” to the two heroes.

Gran Torino shot him a look. “Before we both punish you, you’ve got a visitor.”

A man entered into the room, ducking his head down to fit. “Hosu chief of police. Tsuragamae Kenji-san.”

Todoroki and Iida both stood up, but Tsuragamae waved them down. “Stay seated, woof.”

Woof?

Fitting though, since Tsuragamae appeared to be a human-dog hybrid. His appearance made him look silly rather than intimidating.

“You are the children that brought down the hero killer, correct?” Tsuragamae surveyed the three boys, eyes landing on Izuku.

“Yes, sir.”

“In regards to Stain...”

Apparently, what they had done that night was against the rules. The use of a quirk without a provisional license was considered against the law, and serious punishment was to be followed suit if said law was broken. Since Todoroki, Iida, and Izuku were not given thorough instructions from their guardians as to whether or not their quirks should be utilized in combat, they had broken the law.

They had also dealt damage to Stain with their quirks. Despite the fact that it was in self defense in their case, it was still considered highly prohibited in that day and age. Quirks were not to be used as weapons or objects of villainy, and by attacking and fighting against the hero killer, the three boys had gone against the law.

“Hold up a minute,” Todoroki interjected defensively. “You’re saying we shouldn’t have done anything at all? We should’ve let Native-san die?” The boy took a step forward, anger clear in his eyes.

Izuku held his arm out to stop Todoroki. “Don’t-!”

Tsuragamae blinked. “So you say it’s fine to break the law if everything ends up fine?”

Todoroki looked taken aback for a second, before he grit his teeth and glared. “It’s a hero’s job to save people, is it not?”

Tsuragamae closed his eyes. The man seemed almost exasperated if it weren’t for his calm and collected exterior. “You are children. There is a difference between training to become a hero and actually becoming a hero.” The man woofed. “Geez. Since you are Yuuei students, I really did expect you to have common sense...”

That was the breaking point for Todoroki. The boy bared his teeth in frustration. “You dog!”

Todoroki marched forward, furious. Izuku widened his eyes in surprise and latched onto Todoroki’s hand, pulling him back. He would’ve marveled at how warm his hand if it wasn’t for the for the current situation.

Gran Torino put himself between Todoroki and Tsuragamae, holding his hands up. “Stop that, boy. Hear him out until the end, at least.”

Tsuragamae scratched at his snout. “Thank you. Now, you see, the punishment would occur if this incident was to be made public, woof.” The man let his hand fall back down.

“If the incident were made public, you boys would be applauded by the media, and punishment would be inescapable. On the other hand, if we kept this ordeal between us and the people involved, punishment would not occur and the claim would be on Endeavor, who saved you all.”

The man paused, blankly glancing at the three boys. “Which option do you choose? To be frank, you all are very promising and seem to have heart. I don’t want to see you kids get in trouble for something like this.”

Manual sighed in relief. “I have to add, we still should take responsibility in being negligent in our duties as your guidance.”

Iida stepped forward and bowed. “I apologize, Manual-san.”

Manual lightly tapped Iida’s head. “Don’t do it again, Tenya-kun.”

Izuku took note and bowed as well, Todoroki following. “Thank you.”

Tsuragamae looked pleased with the boys’ actions. “Because of rules and restrictions, you boys will not receive the praise you deserve. But as someone who values and respects the act of heroism...”

Tsuragamae followed Iida’s initial action, taking a bow towards the teens. “I would like to say thank you.”

Todoroki tore his eyes away, his ears a slight shade of pink. “You should’ve started with that.”

Izuku smiled at him. “Oh, Shouto-kun...”

Tsuragamae stood back up and nodded at the teens. “I’ll be going, then. Thank you for your time, boys.” The man turned and exited the room. Gran Torino gave each of the teens a final, stern glare and retreated, as well as Manual.

“Midoriya,” Todoroki said.

“What is it, Shouto-kun?”

“You can let go of my hand now.”

***

“Deku-kun, I’m glad you, Kasumi, and Todoroki-kun and Iida-kun are okay,” came Uraraka’s voice. “When you sent that message last night, I was really confused. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, Uraraka-san. I couldn’t get ahold of anyone while it was going on, so that was the most I could do.”

There was a sigh. “You three should rest! You’ve been through a lot. You can tell me about it later, Deku-kun.”

“I will.”

“Bye!”

Izuku hung up. He stared at his phone for a few more seconds, and then shut it off. Izuku sighed, adjusting his crutch. Kasumi was on his bed fumbling around with a talisman she was currently sewing and patching together. She had woken up long after their ordeal with Tsuragamare. She had looked over Izuku’s minor wounds, compared to the other injuries of the other two. She had healed the fractures with the newfound energy that new day had given her. 

“Midoriya. Iida just came out of his examination.”

“Oh?” Izuku set down his phone next to him, limping over to his friends. “Iida-kun?”

Iida didn’t look up. “The doctor says my left hand may as well have long-term damage. Actually, both of my arms had taken a lot of damage. Yet the left had been more severe than the right.”

Iida looked up at Izuku. His smile was full of uncertainty. “It won’t be too much on me. I’ll have a hard time moving my fingers and hand, but it can be healed later on with a nerve transplant if I wish.”

Kasumi looked up and spoke up. “You know Iida-san. If you want me too, I can heal you with my powers. I’m sure my abilities will be able to fix your problem.”

Iida sighed, his head falling back down. “No thank you but...you see back then, I couldn’t see anything except Stain. I probably should’ve gotten Manual-san or someone else to come with me, yet I didn’t. I had been so angry, I couldn’t focus straight.”

He paused. “I hate him. I never will feel anything but hatred towards him. But that night, he was right about me.” Iida’s eyes traveled down to his arms, encased in casts. “Until I grow stronger and become a hero, I think I’m going to leave my arm just the way it is. To serve as a reminder of last night.”

Kasumi hesitated. “Understood. I will respect your wishes.”

Izuku pulled his face into a frown. Iida had already accepted this fate. Nothing he says will change Iida’s mind. There was no use in trying anything else. It was a strange thought...to keep your wounds and disableness even when there was someone capable of taking it away. He settled for words of encouragement in replacement of Kasumi’s healing.

Izuku brought up his crooked right fist. “I feel like that too, Iida-kun.”

Izuku stared at his recently healed arm. There was a scar that ran almost completely around his palm and a few bumps at the side of his wrist. Kasumi’s healing wasn’t absolute, that fact was established. Izuku held out his fist. “We should become stronger. Together.”

Todoroki stared at Izuku’s hand then turned to look at Iida’s arms and hands. Todoroki looked away. 

“I feel bad,” he muttered, focusing in on his hands.

Izuku and Iida broke their intense bonding moment to look over at their friend. “Why’s that, Shouto-kun?”

Todoroki seemed to be in a cold sweat. “Well...when I get involved, people always mess up their hands. Like yours and Iida’s. I’m...the hand crusher.”

Izuku and Iida were silent for barely even a moment before they broke into unbearable laughter. Iida clutched his sides and kept on shaking as he kept on laughing. Izuku was rolling around the bed slamming his fist against the mattress repeatedly. Kasumi on the other hand pressed her hand against mouth and muffled her uncontrollable fit of giggles. 

“Really, Shouto-kun?” Izuku tried to muffle his laughter with his hand, but it was no use. “The hand crusher?”

Todoroki tried to keep a grin at bay. “I’m serious.”

Iida shook his head and snorted. Izuku continued to laugh to the point that his body couldn’t support it anymore and he was just gasping for large amounts of air. “I didn’t know Todoroki-kun could have a sense of humor!”

Two days after the Hosu incident, Stain was all over the news. Reports from the police read that three high schoolers and seven pros had encountered the hero killer, and that Endeavor handled the situation after being called in.

Just as Tsuragamae said, Izuku, Todoroki, and Iida’s names were not made public. The attention they would have received had been directed to Stain and Endeavor respectively.

Izuku was alone in the hospital room. Todoroki had left earlier that day.

_ “I’m going back to working with my father.” _

_ “To Endeavor?” _

_ “Yes. I should learn as much as I can from him. I want to see his expression when he sees me for the first time since the incident. I imagine he’d be embarrassed knowing we were the ones to take down the hero killer.” _

_ Todoroki leaned back at the door. “I’ll call you later. Bye.” With that, he was gone. _

_ Izuku laughed. _

_ “Shouto-kun, you sure do hate Endeavor, don’t you?” _

Izuku...was at the very least a bit disappointed. He was sent to leave after he was told that he had healed enough to be discharged, thanks to Kasumi. He wanted to have a bit more of a bonding time with the the other male. It was strange how Todoroki left Izuku craving to spend more time with him. 

“I think we should work on One For All a little bit more,” Kasumi suggested looking over the bumps and the scar on Izuku’s arm and wrist. “When you deployed 10% throughout your whole body you still had some injuries...even if they were very minimal compared to 100%.”

“Sorry, Kasumi,” Izuku rubbed the back of his head. “I feel like we’re prioritizing One For All and neglecting our Quirk.”

“Not at all,” Kasumi shook her head. “As long as I am able to be of service, then I’ll be fine Izuku-sama.”

They spent the rest of the week with a fuming Gran Torino working on One For All: Full Cowling and get to the power output of 10%. It took a lot of meditating and supervised technical training. The Soul Guardian informed of the benefits that their Quirk will receive from attaining this level of power output. Demonstrated before when Izuku continued using 10%, Kasumi seemed to move a lot more faster than the eye could see. It was something that motivated Izuku to attaining this goal of theirs.

***

“Thank you for taking care of me, Gran Torino-san!” Izuku stood at the bottom of Gran Torino’s staircase. His internship was over now, and he would return home. “Thanks to you, I empowered One For All: Full Cowling, and I could hold my own against Stain!”

Gran Torino swatted Izuku with his cane. 

“Who had no intentions of killing you!” Gran Torino swung his cane again, but missed Izuku on purpose. “Don’t strain yourself! That goes for the both of you.” 

The man eyed Kasumi, who nodded dutifully in response.

“You still have a lot to learn, kid. I hope to see you do well in the future. See you.”

Izuku turned, but the sound of Gran Torino’s voice stopped him. “Who are the two of you?”

Izuku flushed, whirling back around. “Midoriya Izuku and this is Kasumi!”

Gran Torino cocked his head. “No? That’s not it.”

Who am I...?

”Ah! I’m Deku! This is Fan la Norne!”

Kasumi nodded in agreement approving Izuku’s words and for the first time, Gran Torino treated Izuku with a soft smile. The man turned around and retreated back into his home, waving a goodbye. 

***

Izuku had found Shouto at the school gates and he jogged up to the male quickly and he looked up.

“Hey, Shouto-san! What are you doing out here?”

Todoroki blinked before averting his gaze sheepishly and rubbed his cheek. “I was waiting for you.”

Izuku blinked and a blush crept up his cheeks. He shook it away and piped up immediately. “Let’s get to class then!”

They walked towards the towering glass buildings of U.A. Kasumi noted silently to herself that Izuku and Shouto subconsciously walked closer to each other, almost to the point that their shoulders were touching. She giggled to herself. “ _ Izuku-sama is as clueless as ever. _ ”

The first thing Izuku witnessed coming into class was Kirishima and Sero breaking out into fits of laughter and giggles.

“Seriously, Bakugo?!”

“I’ll kill you!”

The greenette’s jaw went slack. “Kasumi...can you believe this?”

“ _ We are seeing this right now aren’t we? Izuku-sama. _ ”

Bakugo noticed Izuku’s expression and growled at him. “Not a word, Deku.”

The said boy clamped his mouth shut...but snuck his phone and took a photo. 

“WHAT THE HELL, DEKU??!!!!”

As if there was a spell over his hair, the smoothness of Bakugo’s hair popped back up into its normal spikiness. Izuku was laughing and sputtering to himself as he tapped about on his phone. 

“Oh, t-this is p-priceless!” Izuku stammered as he pressed the send button. “This is going in the class group chat history! Oh right I need to send one to your mom too! Oh, do you have Best Jeanist’s contact information? I need to send him a gift or something!”

“I GOING TO KILL YOU!” Bakugo yelled before Kasumi popped into existence and used her power to keep the explosive boy on his desk, unable to move. 

“Anyways what you guys experienced the most in your internships right?” Kaminari asked.

“Yeah,” Izuku nodded in response. “It wasn’t a really good experience though…”

“DON’T FUCKING IGNORE ME YOU EXTRAS!!!”

“Oh right! The hero killer! You guys got attacked by him, didn’t you?” Sero piped up. 

Kirishima frowned and shuddered from the thought. “I was really worried about you three!”

The rest of the class came to gather around the three teens. “Endeavor saved you three, didn’t he? Expected of the number two hero!” Sato bobbed his head. Hagakure made a noise of agreement, almost a squeal.

Izuku studied Todoroki’s expression at the mention of his father. The boy seemed to sour just a tad, but he hesitantly nodded. “Yeah. He did.”

Ojiro butted his way into the conversation. “I heard Stain was connected to the League of Villains.” The boy scratched his head and looked up at Shoji. “That’s scary, thinking about someone like him being tied to the league.”

“He is scary, Ojiro, but man! Did you see the video that kept getting taken down online?” Kaminari added, wiping his brow. “The one of the hero killer himself!”

“That one? The one about his arrest?”

“Yeah!” Kaminari confirmed. “When I saw that, it seemed like he was really passionate and tenacious and stuff. He’s kinda cool, you know!”

“Kaminari!” Jiro used her earphone jack to stab Kaminari. “That’s insensitive, you ass!”

“Hey!” Kaminari winced, rubbing his side. “Oh! Sorry, Iida! I didn’t-!”

Iida waved him off. “It’s fine, Kaminari-kun. I understand how people would find him cool, too. But the way he carried out his beliefs and ideas were still wrong, no matter what he thinks. But I want to protect the world of people like him. That is why-!”

Iida chopped his hand towards Kaminari. “I will continue my journey of becoming a hero! Anyways! It is time to start class, everyone! Sit down and be quiet for Sensei!” 

The bespectacled boy kept ordering nonsensically. Kasumi bowed in respect at Izuku’s direction before disappearing immediately. Everyone got to their seats by the time the door had burst open and All Might was charing through. 

“I AM HERE!!! CLASS! TODAY I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A DEMONSTRATION OF ALL THAT YOU LEARNED DURING YOUR INTERNSHIPS! CHANGE INTO YOUR COSTUMES YOUNG ONES!! TODAY WE ARE GOING TO DO A RESCUE TRAINING RACE!”

Iida’s hand shot up, as per usual. “Shouldn’t we do this at the USJ instead, Sensei?”

All Might shook his head. “The USJ is for disasters, my boy. We are having a race! This is Field Gamma!” All Might gestured behind him to Field Gamma.

***

The hero explained the layout of the field and what class A would be doing today. The hero would send a signal to the group that was out, and each person would race to get to All Might first. Damage to the structures would have to be held to a minimum. The first group consisted of Ashido, Sero, Izuku, and Iida. 

“ _ Good luck, Izuku-sama! _ ” Kasumi cheered on enthusiastically. “ _ Please be cautious and stay diligent! _ ”

“Yeah, I’ll do my best Kasumi,” Izuku replied. Some people gave him a look before realizing that he was talking to Kasumi. Guess, they still didn’t get used to his Quirk yet. 

“START!”

Everyone had placed their bets on Iida and Sero, but they didn’t expect that Izuku would whizz quickly in front of them. He had settled for 8% trying to get a feel for the somewhat charted territory of One For All. It was true that he had managed to get to 10% without getting seriously injured during the internship, but he still had a long way to go to actually get used to it.

The other students watched in amazement as Izuku basically hopped from one pipe to another like a ninja, emerald electricity cackling around him. Shouto watched earnestly...his chest swelled up with pride for the greenette. It was a strange feeling for the otherwise aloof boy, but he didn’t mind the foreign pangs in his chest as long as they were directed for the greenette. Uraraka noticed the smallest of smiles curving at Shouto’s lips and she blinked before rubbing her eyes. She looked back at Izuku and then back at Todoroki, before smiling to herself. Why was Izuku’s happiness and enthusiasm always so contagious?

Izuku jumped from one roof before landing on a pipe and almost tripping. He faltered but Kasumi offered her power immediately and he punched the air boosting him upwards and pushing him in a wide arc across the air.

“Thanks Kasumi,” Izuku whispered to himself gratefully.

“ _ Please don’t be so careless next time, Izuku-sama _ ,” Kasumi reprimanded playfully. He ended up being first place getting to All Might before anyone else. Apparently he created a large margin of time and distance against the others. 

“Geez Izuku,” Sero landed next to him. “When did you get so fast all of a sudden? You must’ve worked a lot on your Quirk with Kasumi.”

“Yeah,” Izuku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He had to remind himself that none of them knew about One For All. They turned as All Might began to speak.  

“You’ve all improved with your quirks. I’m glad! Group one, you can exit the field. Next group, start preparing!”

A chorus of “yes sir’s” came from the four teens as they left.

Though, All Might had pulled aside the greenette and leaned forward to whisper lowly. “That was impressive, my boy.” The hero flashed a thumbs up at the boy. “See me when class is over. There are things I must discuss with you.”

Izuku blinked before nodding earnestly. Kasumi shared Izuku’s level of confusion but the two kept quiet about it. 

Izuku pulled off his shirt back in the locker room. The other boys were bantering and talking about earlier, but his mind was on one thing: All Might. There was something that needed to be discussed with him after class. He didn’t acknowledge the fact that Mineta was staring at Izuku wondering if Kasumi was staring at the boys like a pervert. Though the Soul Guardian had closed her eyes in courtesy to the privacy of the boys. 

Mineta then tried to get Izuku to look through a peeping hole to the girls’ locker room, but Izuku ignored him. He rushed to change, buttoning up his shirt and hurrying out of the room.

“What are you in such a rush for, Midoriya?” Kirishima called, but Izuku was already up and out of the room.

Kirishima sighed, dropping his arms. “Strange. Midoriya’s never like that.”

“Yeah,” Sero agreed. “I wonder what’s up with him.”

Todoroki glanced over at his two classmates. Midoriya had been acting strange, but it wasn’t his place to intrude. If Midoriya needed something, he would ask when the time came.

***

Izuku knocked on the door of the teacher’s lounge hesitantly. Kasumi stood next to him and looked concerned. “All Might?”

He opened the door slowly and poked his head inside. The hero was in his deflated form and was looking at his clasped hands positioned in between his knees. The air was filled with tension and Izuku filed into the room with Kasumi right behind him. The both of them sat down  uncomfortably and Izuku looked up at the hero.

“Um, All Might, what did you want to talk to me about?”

“There are several things I’d like to discuss with you. First of all, about the Hosu incident. I apologize for not being there. I wish I could’ve helped you three.”

Izuku sighed relieving a few unpleasant memories. “It’s alright, All Might.”

”I heard that Stain ingested your blood.” All Might licked his finger for emphasis. Izuku nodded, wary. Where was All Might going with this? Kasumi shifted uncomfortably and glanced at the greenette at the corner of her eye.

“Do you remember what I said when I gave you One For All, my boy?”

“Ah…” Izuku took in a deep breath. He imagined All Might’s face and mocked his voice perfectly. “Eat this!”

Kasumi stifled a laugh at how Izuku had twisted his face to almost reflect All Might’s face in his hero form. His impression was on point and the hero huffed in amusement. The mood was changed, but it had returned the solemn air.

“Not that, my boy. I said it didn’t matter how you did it, you just needed to ingest my DNA to obtain One For All.”

Izuku shot out of his seat, eyes widening. “Th-the hero killer has O-One For All then?”

All Might put his hands up defensively. “No, sit down. I can’t believe you forgot.” Izuku lowered himself back down onto his seat. Forgot?

“One For All can only be transferred if the current bearer gives it away willingly. It can never be taken by force. But oppositely, it can be given by force. Example: if I baked you cookies with my hair in it instead.”

Izuku humphed, leaning his chin on his hands. “I’m listening.”

“The time has come where I must tell you about how One For All came about, my boy...”


	13. A Wishful Hope...A Moment of Eternity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The curtain has been released on the origins of One For All, and the winds of change pick up, dragging our duo along. Though Kasumi finds herself within the midst of this gale...hoping for just one moment...
> 
> Exams have come about and Class 1-A and Izuku finds himself at an undesirable predicament with something like the whole weight of the world on his shoulders. The breeze can die out...Izuku just hope it doesn't...

All Might explained, completely in depth, the origins of One For All. Derived from a quirk called All For One, it was created by the holder of All For One giving his supposed quirkless brother a quirk that stockpiled power. Yet the brother had not been quirkless at all, in fact, his quirk was the ability to pass on quirks by taking in their DNA.

It was ironic that One For All had been birthed from All For One. All For One had been a symbol of evil and destruction back when quirks first presented. He would steal quirks from those he liked and would pass them onto others. The strain of having multiple quirks turned All For One’s victims into living dummies, almost like the Nomus.

All For One had fought against All Might years ago. That was the reason that the hero had lost part of his body, and the reason he had a time limit. Before then, All Might’s health had been in tip-top condition.

All Might explained that All For One must have obtained a quirk that slowed down aging, or kept him immortal. The hero told Izuku of what Gran Torino said back at the hospital, about being on the move once more. The only way that All For One had survived is that someone, or something, was keeping him alive on purpose. That purpose had to be being the mastermind behind the League of Villains.

“There was another reason I brought you here today, my boy. It has to do with All For One as well. I’m sure you know about it.”

All Might turned to the Soul Guardian and Kasumi looked extremely uncomfortably under the hero’s stare. “Midoriya-shonen. Kasumi-shonen. The two of you are in terrible danger.”

“This has to do something with Shigaraki Tomura saying something about how his ‘Sensei’ wanting our Quirk?” Kasumi deduced. Her tone was grave and shaky. Izuku jolted remembering the silver-haired man’s words. 

“N-No,” Izuku breathed out shakily. “You c-can’t mean...I-I might lose K-Kasumi?”

Kasumi looked down at her hands clasped together at her lap. “I fear so, Izuku-sama. Soul Guardian...our Quirk is powerful, but it isn’t absolute like All For One or One For All.”

“But this ‘Sensei’ he was talking about might not be him, right?”

Silence ensued before All Might spoke again.

“My boy, I fear that your hope is for naught. Shigaraki had said something about a Sensei wanting your quirk, did he not? I believe this Sensei he was talking about and the man Stain spoke of are the same person. All For One. The fact that the Nomu he had with him had multiple Quirks...that in itself is incriminating evidence.”

Izuku shut his eyes and shook his head. Tears threatened to spill from his leaky faucet-eyes. All Might reached across the table and patted Izuku’s shoulder. Kasumi clasped her own hand over Izuku’s in a sign of assurance.

“One day, you may have to face All For One and defeat him. That day is thankfully, not in the near future. But with how powerful you will become, I do not doubt your abilities in the slightest.”

Izuku let out a tearless sob. He pawed at his nose and shook his head. “All Might...I...”

“My boy, it’s true that you may be in danger. But I need you to confide in us and your classmates. It is not my decision if you choose to tell your friends what predicament you are in, but I would advise you to do so. Right now, you need all the support you can get. I apologize for suddenly springing this on you, but I had to for your safety. I could not leave you in the dark about this.”

“Thank you,” Kasumi dipped her head in respect...answering for the shocked male. “For sharing this invaluable information to us. We’ll exercise extreme caution.”

All Might opened his mouth to say something, but closed it immediately after. The hero struggled to gather words. “I...Midoriya-shonen, Kasumi-shonen, I...thank you for listening. You two can leave now. I’m...truly sorry.”

All Might watched as young Midoriya retreated back down the hallway. The poor boy shouldn’t have been faced with such a harsh reality at just 15 years old, but it was something they all needed to accept.

_ I’m afraid I may not be by your side for much longer, my boy. _

***

The duo returned to the Midoriya household later the night and Inko was worried as to how Izuku was extremely unresponsive.

“He’s just very tired, Inko-sama,” Kasumi supplied. “We had a long day that’s all. If you may, we’ll be retiring to Izuku-sama’s room.”

“Alright,” Inko nodded hesitantly shooting a nervous glance at her son. “Tell me if you need anything dear.”

They went to the greenette’s bedroom and they sat down in silence...until Izuku reached out and hugged Kasumi tightly.

“I-Izuku-sama?”

“P-Please,” Izuku whimpered weakly. “Don’t leave...okay? I don’t want to lose you.”

Kasumi stopped before putting a warm, reassuring hand on the small of Izuku’s back. “I promise, Izuku-sama. We’ve been together way too long for me to leave out of nowhere...I’ll do anything in my power to make sure that I won’t be forced to abandon you.”

Izuku nodded feebly against Kasumi and she let out a sigh before mnustering a cheerful voice. " _ **Let us be together for eternity, Izuku-sama!**_ ****"

She was a practicalist. She knew in her bones that this was all wishful thinking. Kasumi put in the finishing touches of her probable last talisman and placed it into her jewelry box. All For One...if he was really that interested in obtaining Kasumi’s and Izuku’s power...the Soul Guardian sucked in a deep breath peering over her shoulder to look at the sleeping figure of the greenette. The two of them had a long way to go if they wanted to successfully resist All For One. She looked at the talisman that seemed to glimmer in the dim light. The black string stitched on the talisman pouch...Kasumi could only hope that this talisman could protect the two of them. Attached to the bottom of it were the small charms of a bunny and a shrine maiden.

_ A Talisman of Eternity. _

***

“It’s almost time for summer vacation,” Aizawa announced the next morning. “But as heroes in training, just resting the whole month is pointless. During vacation, we’re attending a training camp.”

The class erupted into fits of cheers and gleeful shouting. Aizawa, frankly, looked thoroughly annoyed with his students’ random outbursts. 

“That isn’t all.” The class quieted down into a murmur, awaiting Aizawa’s final addition. “If you do not pass the final exam, you’ll be attending summer school.”

Instead of excited cheering, the class broke into a panicked mess. 

“Everyone! Do your best!” Kirishima shouted over the commotion. Mineta yelled at the girls to do their best as well, for personal reasons, of course. Izuku couldn’t keep his mind focused on the training camp or exams though, all he could think about was yesterday.

Technically, the weight of the world was on Izuku’s shoulders. How was he supposed to keep it together when he was supposedly being targeted by the most dangerous being in the world? It was a burden he couldn’t even share with his mother. God forbid, Inko would pull him out of school in a heartbeat. Also to feed his nervousness as well, Kasumi was oddly silent.

Izuku tried to keep his head clear the rest of the day. He sat with his friends at lunch, he participated in class that afternoon, he answered when he was asked a question. Yet there was still the thought lingering in the back of Izuku’s head, barely there yet still a bother.

_ How am I supposed to do this, All Might? _

“Midoriya?”

Izuku snapped from his thoughts and looked up at a certain half-quirked boy. “A-Ah! Shouto-kun! Is there something wrong?”

“Are you alright?” Todoroki questioned. 

“I just have a lot on my mind,” Izuku replied trying to go for a smile. It wasn’t a lie, but he was neglecting to tell Shouto anything else. “Sorry if I’m worrying you.”

Shouto blinked before kneeling down and taking Izuku’s hand in his owns. Izuku flared up immediately and jolted. Just what was the male doing?!

“Look,” Shouto said. “If you have some PTSD from all that happened with Stain and all that, you know we’re going to be there for you. You just need to call out and we’ll reach for you.”

Izuku was touched by the boy’s words and nodded, smiling gratefully. “Thank you Shouto-kun.”

Though if only he knew that Izuku was worried about something else entirely. The two of them didn’t notice Uraraka who was grinning like a maniac in their direction. She silently tugged Iida’s sleeve and pointed at the two of them.

“Don’t you think that they’re cute together?” the girl asked enthusiastically in a hushed tone. Iida learned how it felt like to choke on air.

***

It was lunch. Izuku was sandwiched between Kasumi and Todoroki and they were eating the food provided to them quietly.

“Deku-kun, what do you think will be on the practical exam?” Uraraka asked through a mouthful of rice. Iida swatted his arm at the girl.

“Uraraka-kun! Please finish chewing before you speak!”

Uraraka swallowed and apologized, but her tone made it clear that she didn’t really care.

“Aizawa-sensei said it would be a mash of everything we had during the first semester, kero,” Tsu added through mouthfuls of her food. Izuku shrugged, picking apart his katsudon.

“I’m not really sure, Uraraka-san. What Tsu-chan said is all Sensei would tell us, so there’s a lot we could be doing.” Izuku wiped at his mouth.

“Everything we’ve done? We did rescue training, combat, and regular training. It really isn’t a lot to choose from, but if it’s a mix of all of that...” Uraraka put her chopsticks down to think for a minute.

“I suggest that it would be like a stimulation of a real life situation, if we put that it into context. Right Izuku-sa…”

“Ow!”

“Oops. Sorry, your head is so big that it got in my way!”

Izuku reeled around to face the source of the voice, eyes narrowing on his target. Kasumi stopped mid word and whirled around to look at the student of Class 1-B. Monoma smirked tantalizingly down at Izuku. 

“Oh, it’s you! I heard you guys found the hero killer.” The blonde gestured towards the boys of the table with his tray. “You Class A kids really do always stir up trouble.”

Izuku clutched the back of his heard, muddled with confusion and a slight twinge of annoyance. While Todoroki didn’t budge an inch, continuing to dig into his soba, Iida physically tensed at the mention of Stain.

“It must be real scary to be apart of your class,” Monoma continued mockingly. “I hope our class doesn’t get cursed by whatever you guys have! Doesn’t it suck to get attacked by villains once a month?” 

There was a slam on the table that made everyone flinch. They all turned to look at Kasumi who seemed to have slammed her chopsticks against the table. She looked up at Monoma with a dangerous smile. Everyone was unnerved by the hostile aura that Kasumi seemed to radiate with. 

“I see,” Kasumi nodded. “If we truly are cursed, we certainly are doing our best fighting against this curse that you speak of, don’t you think  _ Monoma Neito _ ?”

The boy flinched when the Soul Guardian addressed him with his full name. “If we really were cursed and the curse traveled to your class, how will you handle your predicament? Will you turn on your heel and run? Please do dwell over your words before you speak them next time. Some of us do not take a liking to being called cursed after going through something that will have mostly likely killed you through insanity.”

Everyone gulped and marvelled Kasumi’s ability to keep a sweet-smile on her face when she spoke so bitterly. Kendo came and whacked Monoma in the back of the head.The blonde collapsed dramatically, held up by Kendo’s fist gripping the back of his uniform. 

“Sorry, you guys. He’s a good guy, just a little loony,” Kendo apologized, bobbing her head towards Monoma. The redhead turned towards Izuku, eyes twinkling with her recognition

“I heard you guys talking about the exams, right? One of my friends is an upperclassmen. He told me that they were doing robots again, like the entrance exam. I hope that helps!” Kendo smiled down at them and strode away, dragging Monoma behind her.

“She’s like the big sister of class B, isn’t she, kero?” Tsu commented blankly. Iida and Uraraka nodded in agreement.

“Robots again?” Izuku rubbed the back of his head and frowned. 

“Thank God it’s robots!” Uraraka cheered. “Robots were easy.”

“Kero.”

Izuku looked over to Kasumi to see that she was looking back at her chopsticks...with something reminiscent of worry and concern. She finally noticed that Izuku was looking at her and she gave him a smile. Though...he noticed the innocent voice turned into something mischievous. She moved two of her fingers and Izuku was pushed forwards by an almost unnoticeable gale of wind. Much to dismay, he ended up being pushed towards Shouto and their faces were racing towards each other in terrifying speeds. Hilarity ensued.

The other male’s eyes widened immediately and they both grabbed each shoulders at almost the same time and kept themselves from getting anymore closer. Uraraka spit out her water and soaked Iida in the process. She started laughing and slamming the table with her fist repeatedly. Iida purposely fogged up his glasses and fixed it so he couldn’t see anything else. His face was extremely red, embarrassed that he almost witnessed something unspeakable between two of his classmates. Izuku’s face flared up immediately and he backed away. “K-Kasumi!!!!”

“Is there something the matter, Izuku-sama?” Kasumi asked almost too innocently. “After all...you do know that I am somewhat of an expert at making people happy.”

Uraraka had almost died from laughter and Tsu tapped her bottom lip in confusion. “So you mean that Todoroki-san and Midoriya-san like each other?”

Todoroki looked away with his face aflame, figuratively of course, he uncharacteristically buried his face in his hands. There were sparks of fire that erupted from his left side. Midoriya resembled an advocate of Christmas as he waved his arms frantically. “It’s not what you think! You’re all mistaken! There isn’t anything between us!!”

“Please refrain from denying the truth Izuku-sama.”

“KASUMIIIII~!!!!”

***

After the little scene at the lunchroom, Uraraka had spread the word that the practical exam was just merely fighting robots again. Ashido and Kaminari were especially glad to hear that they were only going against robots. The two raved on about how easy that would be until Bakugo barged in.

“Shut the hell up, bastards. It’s not going to be as easy as just fighting fuckin’ robots.” Bakugo stood by the door, his usual display of constant irritation plastered as an expression. Kaminari and Ashido bristled at his remark, grumbling at the spiky boy for ruining their moment of celebration. Despite the fact that Bakugo shouldn’t have been so rude about it, he probably was right. It was Yuuei, nothing in Yuuei was as simple as robots. There was always a trick up a teacher’s sleeve no matter what.

It was the unspoken or unwritten rule that the teachers of U.A. upheld.

“Deku!”

Izuku jumped in his seat, surprised. Bakugo was pointing at him, thunderous anger in his eyes. “Don’t get in my way!”

“Eh? Kacchan?” Izuku’s voice wavered, dread bubbling inside with the sight of Bakugo. He hadn’t even been involved in the conversation, and yet, he was being called out for no reason.

“You too, Icyhot!” Bakugo turned to face Todoroki. The boy’s face remained blank, save for the slight crease between his mismatched brows, hinting at irritation. “Don’t you dare go around half-assing it all the time. You and Deku might be fucking lovers, but you better not reserve that power to some kinkyass shit!”

Bakugo gave Todoroki one last pointless glare and stomped out of the room. Todoroki and Izuku’s eyes met, the other boy searching for answers in Izuku’s display. Izuku could only shrug, equally confused at Bakugo’s explosive outburst. Though Izuku was embarrassed enough as it was. Uraraka on the other hand had found the whole confrontation absolutely hilarious.

The mood went from gleeful to tense in just a few seconds. Bakugo’s ability to rub everyone the wrong way could almost be admirable.

“That’s a typical Kacchan,” Izuku murmured. Although he was used to Bakugo’s unpredictable outrages, being victim to many throughout the years, he still managed to spike a twinge of fear in Izuku’s gut every time.

“ _ In our years of knowing him, he must’ve always been like that. Don’t you agree, Izuku-sama? _ ”

“He seemed real fired up. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen him like that, hasn’t it?” Kirishima added, exasperated. Tokoyami nodded boredly, stoic façade never failing to dissipate.

“I believe he’s impatient,” the bird boy observed. Kirishima sighed, swiping a hand over his cheeks.

“You’re probably right.”

Izuku looked down at his desk. Bakugo was one that wanted a fight to be put up in order to win. Yet for the issue at hand, exams weren’t necessarily a competition thing, moreso a school thing. But Bakugo’s never been like that. Everything to him is about fighting and winning. Even if it’s something as simple as making it to class on time, there wasn’t a doubt in Izuku’s mind that Bakugo would make it competitive. It was just apart of his personality, no matter how irritating it was.

***

The day droned on as usual and Kasumi had shortened their training time in sacrifice to study for the written test that would come up soon. It was a few weeks, but time flew by and soon they were in front of the doors of Class 1-A entering to take the written exam.

***

There was three days of written exams. For most of the day, class A spent their school hours filling out what information they had crammed the week prior. Izuku’s hands started to cramp from the excessive amount of writing. 

The written exams were the easy part thanks to Kasumi. She had provided all the answers to all the English and History portions of the written exam. Izuku had consulted All Might about his situation with Kasumi and the hero merely laughed.

“ _ It’s fine! Kasumi is basically your Quirk. Though it might be considered cheating in context, you are still technically using your own resources! _ ”

The practicals were going to be a breeze as well. (No pun intended)

That was until it was finally the day of the practical exam did they realize that...well things never turned out what they were going to be at U.A.

“Listen up,” Aizawa took all of the class’s attention. All eyes turned from their focused solely on the Pro Hero. “You’ve all completed the writing exam, now it’s time to get to the Practical Exam.”

“Time to fight some robots!” Ashido jeered along with Kaminari. 

“No…”

Everyone stopped and looked as Aizawa turned around and motioned for some people to come out of the building. The heroes...the teachers of U.A.

“What are they doing here,” someone muttered. Izuku was uneasy listening to Kasumi’s prediction. 

“ _ No, we’re not fighting the robots. We’re fighting the teachers. _ ”

“You’ll be fighting us,” Aizawa concluded. Ashido and Kaminari shrieked, crying dramatically on how they were going to fail. Aizawa went on pairing people together and putting them against their hero they were going to fight. Izuku droned it out, only taking note that Shouto and Momo were going up against Eraserhead. 

“Finally, Bakugo and Midoriya.” The two of them jolted at Aizawa’s monotone voice. 

“ _ This isn’t going to end well _ ,” Kasumi sighed. A trace of worry laced in her voice. 

“Against  _ All Might _ .”

Kasumi and Izuku alike froze up as the No. 1 hero jumped down in front of the two of them as if he had practiced a billion times. Izuku completely thought it was unfair, this was the perfect equation for absolute and utter failure. If Ashido and Kaminari thought they had it worse, they were completely wrong. 

“Yes, young students!” All Might jerked a thumb at his face. “You will be fighting me!”

“A-Against...y-you?” Izuku muttered shocked. 

“Hold up! Why the hell do I have to be paired with this idiot? Why can’t I switch with someone else?” Bakugo snapped, pointing daggers at Aizawa. The tired man rolled his eyes lazily.

“Quit complaining, Bakugo, or I’ll fail you immediately.”

That shut up the spiky boy. He was still fuming, yet silently.

Two teenagers against a pro hero, the epitome of fair.

But the students were given a handicap. The teachers would be given weights to slow them down and give the students an advantage. Though, some advantage that would be if you were going up against the stinkin’ No. 1 hero. 

Fortunately, but unfortunately, they were assigned to take their exam last. It was enough time for Izuku to formulate a plan and get his wits together...though it would be for naught seeing as how Bakugo would absolutely refuse to cooperate with the greenette. So it left Izuku going into planning a last resort plan in case they were in absolute danger of failing. 

***

“Midoriya-kun’s match is about to start!” Iida announced to the half and half boy. Todoroki nodded, coming to stand next to Yaoyorozu.

“That’s why I came,” Todoroki said. “I wanted to see how Midoriya would do. His quirk is interesting. I’d like to see if he and Bakugo will try and work together.”

Uraraka nodded. “Deku-kun has a strong quirk. But they’re up against All Might, and even if it’s three against one, All Might is the strongest hero.”

“It’s a bit unfair how they set up Kasumi and Midoriya for failure, kero,” Tsu commented.

***

Izuku and Bakugo were escorted to their place of exam. The greenette filled with the resolve to pass the exam after seeing Todoroki’s and Yaoyorozu’s performance on their own test. 

“So, Kacchan.”

“Don’t fucking call me that, Deku!!!”

Izuku winced and sighed. Cooperation between them was close to absolutely nothing. They would probably have to work as two individuals just slapped in the same scenario just for the fun of it. 

“Kasumi.”

The Soul Guardian dutifully appeared next to Izuku and the blonde male clicked his tongue and jerked his head in the other way. Izuku knew it was to be in a condescending manner, but the two of them were already in a bad mood enough as it was, they didn’t care...at all. 

“Midoriya and Bakugo in the practical exam! Please proceed!”

Izuku opened his mouth in a last ditch attempt to get to Kacchan and formulate a proper plan. Though the boy didn’t care at all and went ahead, charging forward.

“It’s impossible,” Kasumi said quietly. “He will not cooperate with us, Izuku-sama. We’ll have to take matters upon our own hands.”

Izuku sighed and then opened his mouth again running towards the boy. He tried reasoning with the boy, “Kacchan! You can’t just go ahead and fight All Might by yourself! It’s impossible!” Izuku kept storming forward, holding his arm out.

“Shut up.”

Izuku hesitated, but continued on his rant. “Kacchan, stop! You have to realize that it’s All Might! We can’t just fight him! We have to run!”

“Shut up, Deku!”

“Kacchan!”

A gauntlet slammed into the side of Izuku’s head, thwacking him back. Izuku fell to the ground, gripping his head. “What the hell?”

“Izuku-sama!” Kasumi rushed forwards and helped the greenette up. He rubbed his swollen cheek and the Soul Guardian made quick work of it with her power of healing. 

“I don’t need your fucking help, Deku,” Bakugo spat. Kasumi glared up at the spiteful boy and stood up. Izuku was afraid that Kasumi would engage with the ‘explosive boy’ but the Soul Guardian tapped her staff against the ground and the air fashioned around the three of them like a forcefield. Izuku watched as the scenery of the city around them was ripped away by a massive shockwave that threatened Kasumi’s way of protection. She dispersed the air shield and looked directly at the spiteful boy.

“If you are not careful,  _ Katsuki Bakugo _ . You will be facing a dire situation and may be killed like how this city was completely decimated.”

“Man, who cares about damage to the city?” From behind the dust, All Might stomped forward., his eye shimmering with a blue intensity “Don’t think of this as just an exam, you two.  _ I want you to come at me with everything you’ve got! _ ”


	14. A Feather that Rode with the Wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a decisive battle between the two examines and the Soul Guardian, Izuku and Kasumi look forwards to a summer at a training camp filled with promises...on the way though hearts are left vulnerable and disdain is clearly shown. Maybe feathers can convey a connection between the duo.
> 
> Well at least Kasumi is the master of low-key shade...

“Kacchan, let’s go!” Izuku shouted, taking a step back. Bakugo didn’t pay him a glance, fully focused on All Might. 

“Shut up, asshat!”

All Might threw himself towards Bakugo. Bakugo held out his arm, explosions crackling in his palms. “Stun Grenade!”

The explosion from Bakugo’s quirk only momentarily stopped All Might. The hero reached out and grabbed Bakugo’s face, but the spiky boy persisted. He kept setting off explosions until All Might threw him to the ground.

“Kacchan!”

“Izuku-sama!”

All Might had charged forward and had his fist poised to hit the greenette. He flinched and hesitated, the Soul Guardian however jumped over the male and swung her staff down for the hero. He blocked the attack the crystal blade of Kasumi’s staff dangerously close to his nose. The blue crystal glowed with an emerald sheen and All Might was pushed backwards by a powerful rip of wind. 

“Impressive,” All Might’s eye glinted silently appraising Kasumi and Izuku. “Your instincts and fast reflexes are reflected upon your companion.”

“Keep your fucking eyes on me!!!!”

The boy had leaped upwards and set off strong explosions to inflict damage upon the hero, but All Might merely pulled his knee back ready to hit the boy’s gut.

“The Wind of Healing is here!” Kasumi shouted, holding her staff horizontally before holding the staff up into the air. Green light rippled outwards from the staff. 

Green wind swirled around Bakugo revitalizing him of his injuries. On the other hand air had swirled around All Might having a nasty shain of poisonous yellow green. All Might huffed clasping a hand over his stomach. “Using you healing as a poison to slow others down, impressive...but!”

Bakugo let out an explosion that picked up dust and scattered it everywhere. It was torn away as All Might jerked forward through the dust with his fist poised. 

“It will not be enough to stop me!”

“Spirits of the air! Answer to my will!”

All Might jumped out of the way as Kasumi’s staff spun forward, with the weapon covered in a maelstrom of wind. The tornado dispersed as Izuku popped up with his body aglow. All Might seemed mildly surprised...but Izuku’s eyes widened and he immediately dropped, driving his feet into the ground before leaping backwards. All Might barely noticed as Bakugo released a contraption on his gauntlet releasing a fearsome explosion. 

“Kacchan!” Izuku yelled. “We have to go! We can’t battle All Might like this! He’s too powerful for us!”

“Shut the fuck up!” Katsuki yelled back. All Might was going to move again if it weren’t for Kasumi raising her staff into the air. Pale blue light weighing down upon All Might. The Soul Guardian seemed significantly drained from the exertion of her power that was demanded back-to-back. 

All Might merely broke through her efforts and Kasumi stumbled backwards into Izuku panting tiredly. 

“Kasumi?” Izuku asked. “Are you okay?”

“Apologies Izuku-sama,” she breathed out. “I suppose I’ve used too much of my power carelessly.”

Kacchan was going to let it rip with another explosion if it weren’t All Might grabbing his hand in a crushing grip. “Bakugo-shonen, when fighting a villain with another hero. You must take note of their limitations. Due to your careless actions, you drained the power of one of your powerful assets.”

“SMASH!!!!!!”

All Might turned at barely the right time to see that Izuku had rushed forward with green electricity cackling around him. His fist reached outwards, but it opened up in a palm and the greenette grabbed Bakugo’s collar prying him loose away from All Might. 

“Kasumi!”

“Yes, Izuku-sama!”

A whirlwind gusted up around All Might and when he tore through it, the three of them were nowhere to be seen. 

***

Izuku slung Bakugo over his back and hopped through the alley. Kasumi was right behind them the whole time despite her heavy breathing.

“Put me down!” Bakugo ordered.

“No,” Izuku huffed.

An arm came to whack him in the back. Izuku gasped, falling to the ground. He dropped Bakugo in the process, rolling onto the cement. 

“Izuku-sama!”

Kasumi skidded to a halt and knelt beside the greenette to help him up. Her staff dissipated into the air. 

“Ow...” Izuku and Bakugo kept their distance, each sitting on opposing walls. 

“I really don’t know how to get out of this, Kacchan. But we can’t give up. Just like you never gave up when we were little, right?”

Bakugo sneered at Izuku. Izuku heaved himself up, staring down at his feet. Kasumi remained silent the whole time and she didn’t plan on saying her objections.

“‘The best hero always wins!’ You always said that when we were little, didn’t you?”

Bakugo snarled, slamming a crackling fist next to Izuku’s head. “Shut up, bastard! Shut up!”

“Don’t!” Izuku cowered, trying to cover his face. Kasumi glared at the male and raised a hand to defend the greenette.

“I’m not going to say it again, asshat. We can’t run or hide from him without fighting.”

Izuku frowned, heart and head alike pounding. “We can’t fight….!”

“I said shut up! Listen to me...”

***

All Might continued trekking down the city scanning every corner for any sign of the two students. The Symbol of Peace evaluated at how the three of them had managed to keep damage to a minimum and was largely overshadowed by the amount of power that All Might had used to basically pulverize the city. The hero stopped...before he turned around to…

“DIE!!!”

Bakugo dove out from the alley behind All Might. He set off an explosion in the hero’s face, but the man dodged it. Blow after blow kept coming, All Might deflecting each one. 

“Sorry All Might!”

The hero turned around to see that Izuku had sprinted out of the alleyway as well. The greenette had pulled a contraption on Bakugo’s gauntlet and let out a fierce expression. All Might barely managed to duck, he assumed that Kasumi had taken residence within the boy, but he was proved wrong.

“Hyah!”

All Might sputtered as he was weighed down against the ground, noticing the blue light wavering around him. He caught sight of the Soul Guardian walking out of the shadows, her staff held on one hand and the same blue light emanating out of the crystal arch of the staff. 

“Izuku-sama! Katsuki!”

“Okay, Kasumi!” Izuku yelled as One For All Full Cowling emanated throughout his body. In the dire situation he went all the way up to 9% reserving the last percent in case they needed the extra push. Katsuki sped off through the air and Kasumi was pushed by an extreme tailwind, following behind the two boys. All Might finally broke through the restraint and he readied his position, before sprinting forwards at full speed. 

***

Izuku continued sprinting through the ground with Kasumi running beside him. He could see that Kasumi was trying her hardest not to give into the temptation of getting some rest. They only needed a little bit more. 

“Just a little bit more,” Izuku gritted his teeth out reaching out and grabbing Kasumi’s hand to keep her from falling behind. 

“Or maybe not, Midoriya-shonen.”

Neither of them were able to react fast enough when All Might seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Bakugo raised his gauntlet to try and blast an explosion, but the hero completely destroyed the gear, before turning to Izuku and breaking his gauntlet. All Might poised a punch for the greenette, and Kasumi intercepted it with her staff, the air fashioning in a shield. He punched forward sending the duo against the building. They crashed through the window and glass shattered everywhere.

“DIE!!!”

All Might turned around and brought his knee up for the boy. It hit his chin and Bakugo was sent spiraling to the top of a seven story building. Though, the male recovered quickly fixing his hands behind him and setting off explosions that sent him towards the hero.

Though it wasn’t for to be. Izuku darted out of the building with Kasumi’s staff poised above his head. He closed the distance with one jump and he brought his staff down for All Might. The hero just managed to block it, but Izuku leaped backwards, throwing his staff up to Kasumi who leaped several meters off the ground. The staff spiraled towards, her but she spread her arm our sending the staff spinning forwards through the air and towards All Might. The hero was buffeted against the ground by the strong winds before it dispersed and the hero looked up. Bakugo let out his explosion before being grabbed by the hero and thrown against the ground.

“Spirits of the air! Answer to my will!”

Kasumi’s staff spun forwards and brutally hit All Might’s wrist. The hero winced to see that a tornado had surrounded him and he watched as it finally dispersed. Kasumi stood there leaning against her staff for support. 

“Midoriya and Bakugo have passed!”

All Might looked at the exit to see that Izuku had carried an unconscious Bakugo like a sack of potatoes and carried them past the line. 

“You did well, Kasumi-shonen,” All Might stood up and looked at the Soul Guardian who had collapsed onto a knee. Her staff dissipating into a thousand green spores. 

“T-Thank you, All Might,” Kasumi breathed out. He noticed that her physical form was shedding green light and sparks twinkled upwards, signifying that the girl had pushed beyond her limit. All Might walked forward and out of polite courtesy offered to carry the tired girl over to Izuku. It was a short walk to the greenette, but Kasumi was already unconscious by then and returned into Izuku’s body. 

The greenette on the other hand was looking down upon Bakugo thinking to himself.

_ Kacchan, you’re an asshole. You really always have been, but I don’t think that’ll improve much either. Ever since we were kids, you’ve always had that burning passion in your eyes. And even though you were nothing but horrible to me, I always admired you. You never gave up in anything, always pushing forward. We might always despise each other, we might become friends in the future, who knows? Even though there are so many things I have to say about you, not all being positive, I do know one thing. Being able to see that passion up close and not being at the receiving end has really shown be a lot about you. I don’t know what’s to come down the road, but I know that if you keep being you, you’re going to go far. Real far, Kacchan. _

***

The two students were taken to Recovery Girl where she had healed Izuku of his injuries and to an extent replenished Kasumi’s energy. The Soul Guardian however was undisturbed in her slumber, but Izuku felt the difference seeing as how he sensed that her aura was significantly stronger. 

***

The next day...

“We’re going to have to go to summer school!” Ashido cried. Kaminari on the other hand was experiencing the same level of distress. 

“You really knew how to carry the team for Bakugo,” Kirishima sighed. “I’m a bit jealous how I wasn’t able to be paired up with any of you guys.”

“It was nothing!” Izuku shook away tapping his chest. “Most of it was Kasumi. If she wasn’t there we would’ve failed at the beginning.”

“We watched the fight Midoriya-san, kero,” Tsu informed. “We saw how Kasumi-san kept on using her energy just so that All Might wouldn’t severely hurt Bakugo.”

“Is she asleep?” Uraraka piped up. “She looked really tired by the end of the test.”

“Yeah, she’s asleep,” Izuku nodded. “She needs all of the rest she can get.”

The door slammed open as Aizawa stepped through. His eyes were bloodshot and tired as always. Everyone scrambled to get to their seats and sat in attention to see what news the teacher harbored for them today. 

“None of you failed the written exam, but five of you failed the practicals. That’s why you’ll be put in remedial classes during the training camp.”

“We get to go too, Sensei?” Kirishima asked, a hint of excitement wavering in his voice. He ignored the mention of extra classes, whether purposefully or not was undetermined.

Aizawa nodded tiredly. “Everyone’s going. The training camp will be useful to those of you who failed, since you’ll have a chance to grow stronger with your quirks.”

The man’s eyes swept across the classroom, an unsettling grin cracking over his usually worn-out features. “A rational falsehood!” Aizawa declared.

The five failures rejoiced, but Iida frowned. He pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose with one finger. “Another one? This is the second time...”

“Wet blanket Iida-kun!” Uraraka latched onto the back of Iida’s shoulders and shook him like a doll.

Aizawa sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Don’t forget about the remedial classes, you five. I’ll be handing out packets for the training camp at the end of class, so stick around for that. Now, onto for our lesson today...”

***

The lesson in short was tedious and hard to grasp. Most of the class wasn’t able to grasp the concept...but luckily for Izuku, Kasumi had woken up from her 12 hour nap, took note of what they were learning, and proceeded to explain the concept to Izuku in a language he could understand. Not some humbo-jumbo school language that managed to baffle even the most diligent of students. It was at times like these Izuku felt truly blessed to have a Quirk and a companion like Kasumi.

The lunch bell rang after a grueling class of trying to grasp the one certain subject and people were immediately out the door, none of them wanted to stick around in case there was something as complicated and difficult as this subject. 

Izuku sighed and walked out of the classroom along with Iida, Uraraka, Tsu, Kasumi, and lastly Shouto who was walking dutifully by Izuku’s side. Kasumi and Uraraka alike took delight to the placement of their friend group.

They ended up at their table and proceeded to engage in small talk about the classes and eat their food, much to Iida’s dismay. 

“So Kasumi,” Tsu questioned. “Are you and Midoriya-san in a relationship?”

Shouto stiffened...he felt oddly envious at the suggestion, but Kasumi smiled sweetly. Izuku on the other hand was a(n adorable in Shouto’s eyes) babbling mess. 

“No,” Kasumi shook her head slowly. “As much as we are close together from being tied together by our Quirk, I liked to think of our relationship as a deep bond of platonic trust and sibling love. Don’t you think Izuku-sama?”

Izuku stopped and then grinned, nodding. 

“Oh, hey you guys.”

The group of people looked up to see that Kirishima was standing there with his signature grin and Bakugo was standing there next to him...his gaze averted from the group.

“Is there something wrong Kirishima-kun?” Uraraka asked. She eyed the ash blonde warily as if he would flip their table and yell something intelligible. 

“There’s something Bakugo wants to say,” Kirishima continued gesturing over to the male.

“K-Kacchan?” Izuku asked.

“DON’T YOU CALL ME THAT FUCKING DEKU!!! AND THIS WASN’T MY IDEA BUT YOURS SHITTY HAIR!!!!”

Everyone jolted by his outburst and then huffed averting his gaze from the group again. “...you did well, Deku.”

Everyone was at a loss for words at what the ash blonde tried to murmur and keep from the others hearing anything. 

“A compliment from Bakugo?” Kasumi asked. “That’s something you don’t hear everyday.”

Kirishima blinked. “Wow...Kasumi is the master of low-key shade.”

“Shut up Wind Hag,” Bakugo said...but Izuku and Kasumi knew, that he didn’t really mean it as an insult. He marched off without another word and Kirishima trailed behind him sending a smile and a wave at the flabbergasted group of friends.

“I guess he’s improving a little bit,” Tsu remarked.

“I just find the whole thing weird,” Todoroki blinked. 

***

“One whole week of training in the forest, huh?” Izuku commented, adjusting the straps on his backpack.

“There’s so much we need for the training camp,” Kaminari carped loudly. “I barely have some of the stuff on this list! There’s so much on here! How does Sensei expect us to have everything on here?”

Kasumi looked over Izuku’s packet making note of all the things that she could make at home in short notice...and the items that they needed to go out and buy. Though, the list of items was lengthy.

“How about we all go shopping together? Saturday afternoon?”

Hagakure cheered in her usual ebullient manner. “Of course! We can all hang out together at the mall, right?”

“Good idea!” Kaminari chimed excitedly.

“Oi, Bakugo!” Kirishima called to the retreating boy in question. “Come with us!”

Bakugo sneered acrimoniously. 

“No.” The spiky boy swung open the door and stalked off. Izuku and Kasumi just sighed as they watched him stalk off. Though he turned to another male looking over his own packet. 

“Hey, Shouto-kun!” Izuku bounced up next to the boy, his lurid display of a smile directed towards his friend. “You should come.”

Todoroki glanced down at him with a glint of amusement

“Sorry but, I visit my mom on weekends,” he clarified without a hint of annoyance in his tone. The male however did wish to go with the greenette though he thought meeting his mother was more of an utmost importance. 

”Ah, really? That’s good anyway, have fun with your mom.” If Izuku was disappointed, he didn’t show it.

Todoroki offered Izuku the slightest hint of a grin, lips pulling upwards in the most subtle way. “I will.”

He nodded at Izuku in a sense of inexplicable fondness. The taller boy tossed his bag around his shoulder and left without another word.

Uraraka sniggered quietly to herself while Kasumi sighed happily. “ _ Izuku-sama...you truly are clueless. _ ”

***

“Kasumi?” Izuku asked looking away from his phone on the bed. Kasumi was busily working on polishing the crystal arch of her staff...strangely she would’ve been making talismans...but she was performing this task instead.

“Yes, Izuku-sama?”

“So...how do you know if you like someone?”

Kasumi stopped before sputtering into a fit of giggles. “Is this about Shouto-san?”

Izuku stopped and Kasumi could’ve sworn that steam had billowed out of his ears. His face turned crimson with an intense blush. “Y-You knew??!”

“It was very obvious Izuku-sama,” Kasumi smiled. “You know, on that day when I...scared off Monoma, I was trying to give you two a push in the right way.”

Izuku blinked before burying his face into his pillow groaning loudly. 

“You two would make a cute partnership,” Kasumi continued polishing the crystal arch. “Strongly supported by most of your classmates.”

“Wait,” Izuku looked up from his pillow, rolled over his bed to look at the Soul Guardian properly. “You said you tried to give the two of us in the right direction. You’re saying…?”

“Perhaps,” Kasumi teased. “But I won’t disclose any private information, Izuku-sama.”

Izuku groaned loudly for the second time that night. 

***

On Saturday, a majority of class A had gathered at the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall. Bakugo hadn’t ended up coming, to only Kirishima’s dismay.

Izuku tried not to fret over Todoroki’s absence. Then again, after the talk he had prior to today, Izuku didn’t know if he’d be able to look Todoroki in the eye. Embarrassment truly was powerful in it’s own way. He only had Kasumi to blame, but he couldn’t bring himself to be cross with the Soul Guardian.

As the teens of 1-A were all huddled into one general area, they all simultaneously broke into shopping-related chatter amongst themselves.

“Man, I need a bathing suit! And bug spray. Anyone know where I can get bug spray?” Kaminari asked, leaning over to the group of girls.

Mineta was holding a map of some sort, glancing around suspiciously. “I need...a drill...and some binoculars...” Jiro pulled a face at him, and turned to Yaoyorozu.

“I need a bag to carry everything,” Jiro said, holding out her arms.

“I’ll help you find it!” Yaoyorozu offered zealously, nodding at the short girl.

“Oi, guys!” Kirishima called the attention back to himself. “Since we all need different things, how about we split up and meet back up later?”

Iida nodded, sternly chopping the air. 

“3 o’clock, we meet back here!” the boy ordered. Everyone agreed, immediately taking off in different directions once it was settled. Kasumi looked around and Izuku looked up at the Soul Guardian.

“So, is there anywhere you want to go?” Izuku asked. Kasumi nodded and smiled.

“There was one certain shop that caught my attention, Izuku-sama,” Kasumi tapped a finger on her lip. “I was hoping we can go there, and then get all the supplies that are necessary for the training camp.”

Izuku blinked before nodding. “Okay, you can lead the way.”

***

They ended up at some antique shop. Charms, talismans, and different good luck statues were strewn about. Potted plants reached up to the ceilings giving the place an ‘mysterious antique shop’ vibe. Izuku should’ve anticipated that Kasumi had great interest in a place like this. 

“Welcome!” 

The duo looked to see that there was an elderly woman behind the counter with closed eyes, nodding at their way with a warm smile. 

“Thank you for your kind hospitality,” Kasumi dipped her head in respect. “Would you mind at all if we went around and see what merchandise you have in your humble store?”

“No! No! Not at all!”

Kasumi looked at Izuku and the greenette gestured over to the Soul Guardian to go around, saying that he’ll be right behind.

They found a lot of talismans varying from dream-catchers, a collection of paper slips with sophisticated calligraphy etched onto the pristine material, to small good luck pouches for everyday subjects of life. Izuku marvelled at how the place seemed like a cozy little home for all of the statuettes positioned on the shelves. They seemed comfortable and the place seemed to be radiating with passive happiness. 

“Ah! Feather charms!”

Izuku looked up to see that Kasumi had picked out a pair of feathers that were either hung by a small golden loop or was kept clean and had a little golden tip to act as a little anchor a top someone’s ear. The feathers themselves possessed vibrant dark colors, a touch of turquoise and ocean colors that blended into deep hues of purple and lavender. They were real pieces of art. 

“Don’t you think these are pretty, Izuku-sama?”

“Yeah, they are Kasumi.”

Kasumi smiled sweetly at these charms, but her eyes were shadowed by underlying tones of sadness. 

“...Kasumi?”

“You know,” Kasumi sucked in a deep breath. “Feathers symbolized a connection with something powerful in spirit and soul. I suppose...that maybe these will strengthen the connection between us and help us grow powerful...don’t you think?”

Izuku stopped...this was about All For One wasn’t it? He swallowed words of worry before opening his mouth to speak. “Yeah, we should purchase then, huh? Along with our charm of good luck.” Izuku helped up the bunny bracelet that hung around his wrist. “We won’t be separated that easily.”

They proceeded to purchase the charms and Izuku tucked his respective feather into the tufts of his hair. Kasumi on the other hand clasped the small golden loop onto one of the other hanging loops near the top of her staff. 

They continued walking about in the mall finding all the items they needed for the summer camp...they didn’t notice until they came out at the main plaza...that a certain silver-haired man was following them.


	15. Looking Forward Into the Future! Debunking a Pervert's Plan Along the Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a traumatizing event at the shopping ward, Kasumi and Izuku continue on trying to find a better path towards the future. Along the way, it wouldn't hurt to dismantle some of Mineta's plans won't it?

“We just need to wait for the others to come, right?” Izuku asked looking up at Kasumi. The said Soul Guardian nodded with a smile. Izuku adjusted the feather charm...though there was some kind of body weight that crashed onto him.

“Oh man! I can’t believe it! What brings you here Midoriya Izuku?”

The said boy stiffened before relaxing. He had to remember that he had gone up to the top at the U.A. Sports Festival. He looked over to the Soul Guardian to have his gut twisted. Her expression was guarded and had traces of fury. Izuku stopped and looked at the black-clad hooded man to see...the same blood red eyes before at the USJ. The untamed, dirty, silver hair of the man… _ Shigaraki Tomura _ .

“It’s really a coincidence you’re here, you know,” the person continued. They shifted a bit, swaying Izuku with them. Izuku tried to squirm out of their grip, extremely uncomfortable, but the arm pulled him closer.

“It’s like fate. Yes, yes...It’s gotta be fate, Midoriya Izuku.”

The arm slung around his shoulder moved to position the fingers around Izuku’s neck. The male began panicking before noticing that the man’s middle finger was stuck out to keep it from touching his neck.

“K-Kasumi.”

The air glowed and hummed with power in between the Soul Guardian’s hands before the villain tsked.

“You don’t want your companion to have his neck disintegrated right?” Shigaraki taunted. “That’s why stand down and go away from us.”

The remaining finger dangled about threatening to join with the other fingers. Kasumi stopped before looking rather regretful and retracting into Izuku. 

“ _ My deepest apologies, Izuku-sama _ ,” Kasumi apologized.

“ _ It’s fine, Kasumi. I’ll try handling this by myself _ .”

“ _ Please be careful _ .”

Izuku’s arm crept up, nails digging into the arm around his body. Shigaraki tugged Izuku closer, leaning down to his ear. “Don’t be like that, Midoriya. Come on. All these people...” Shigaraki gestured to the civilians milling around. “You wanna be a hero, right? How about you calm down, cooperate with me, no one gets hurt? Unless you’d prefer to make a scene...I didn’t come to kill today, but I can make a few exceptions, pull a couple strings.”

“You wouldn’t...someone would catch you. A hero would come,” Izuku reasoned, sweat pouring at his brow. It rolled down his face slowly, agonizingly. Shigaraki laughed, his hoarse voice falling onto the deaf ears of the crowd.

“I would, though. Maybe I would get caught...” Shigaraki leaned closer, a few of his pale fingers dancing around Izuku’s throat. “But it wouldn’t change the fact that they were dead, would it? You wouldn’t be able to stop me anyway.”

Izuku’s face twisted, eyes shutting. His sweaty palm clenched and unclenched repeatedly, taking in deep breaths. “Okay...” he breathed out. “What...what do you want from me?”

“There we go! Why don’t we have a quick chat, Midoriya Izuku? Just you and me, right?”

Shigaraki didn’t bother for a response. He dragged Izuku along, bringing them to a less-crowded area and tugging him down to sit on a bench.

“Act like we’re good friends catching up. If you draw suspicion to us, I’ll kill someone.”

“ _ This man _ ,” Kasumi seethed. Izuku gulped in nervousness. How was he supposed to get out of this? The only thing he can do is wait until someone sees them, preferably someone from Class 1-A, and then call the cops or the heroes. 

“Why not just kill me?” Izuku retorted quietly, fingers digging into the fabric of his shorts. Shigaraki chuckled dryly, pulling Izuku closer to him.

“We need you alive for now. That’s beside the point, I wanted to talk with you, did I not?” Shigaraki croaked. He grinned down at Izuku, eyes a piercing crimson. Izuku shuddered, blinking hard. His eyes traveled to the ground, the feet of passerby’s in his peripheral vision.

“I’m angry,” Shigaraki started his rant vaguely. Seeing as Izuku wouldn’t respond, he continued on his ruse. “It’s Stain this, Stain that, I’m sick of it. The attention is on him instead of me. I had been the one to plan the Hosu attack, yet he’s the one in the spotlight? I believe it’s foolish, so foolish...”

Izuku followed along silently, hands trembling at his thighs. If he made one wrong move, said one wrong thing, Shigaraki would attack. “I thought he was apart of the league?”

“No. I hated him, the feeling was mutual. But the news made it seem like that, right? I would never recruit someone like that.” Shigaraki pulled his hood further over his face, tucking some of his shaggy, blue hair back.

“Don’t you agree that I should be in the spotlight, Midoriya?” Shigaraki rasped into Izuku’s ear. The boy clenched his eyes shut, forcing a stiff nod.

The four-finger grip around his throat tightened. “Good. I still don’t understand...every single time I’ve been humbled. First it’s All Might, then it’s Stain, him again...I can’t win. It’s almost like the universe is begging for me to come up with something new.”

Shigaraki chuckled humorlessly. “Tell me, Midoriya. Why is Stain getting all the attention? We destroy things, we break things, we kill. How are we different?” It was like a teacher asking a question. Inquiry albeit the fact the answer was obvious.

Izuku opened his eyes slowly. His vision blurred momentarily, as the fingers around his throat were tight. Not tight enough to fully choke him, but there as a reminder should Izuku step out of line.

“I...I think Stain...was more sought after...by heroes, since he was in the media a lot longer. And his-his convictions...were a lot more powerful than yours, I...think. I could...reason with Stain, for the most part. We both had something...about All Might. We started from him...and he didn’t just randomly...kill. His convictions...the fake heroes...his reasons I understood. But you...I really...don’t understand you.”

Izuku's gaze flickered up at Shigaraki, wincing. A bead of sweat rolled down Izuku’s temple.

The crusty man was smiling cruelly, Izuku suddenly becoming hyper aware of Shigaraki’s quirk. A fifth finger rapped against Izuku’s jugular.

“It’s always the heroes, isn’t it? In the end, everything comes back to them. I think I know why I’m so angry, Midoriya. All Might.” Shigaraki’s smile widened sinisterly.

“It really is always All Might. Everything’s about him...it all comes back to him. Like these people out here,” Shigaraki threw a hand out, index finger gesturing towards a flailing child. “They’re all smiling like nothing’s wrong because All Might smiles all the time, right?”

The four-finger grip tightened around Izuku’s throat, obstructing his airway. Izuku tried to suck in air, hands clawing at his own shirt. “Stop...” he pleaded uselessly.

“They’re all unbothered because trash like him is out there! Acting like he can save everyone! I don’t even know why I was worried, because it’s always him! It’s not something I do, it’s what he does!” Shigaraki cackled maniacally. Izuku tried to pry the villain’s hand off his throat, but the vice-like grip wouldn’t budge.

“Don’t struggle, Midoriya! Didn’t I tell you what would happen?” The sinister humor was gone, replaced with annoyance instead.

Tears pooled at Izuku’s eyes as he choked. “I thought...you didn’t want to kill me?” Izuku rasped. Shigaraki grunted, loosening the tight grip.

“You’re right…I don’t want to kill you. Sensei does want your Quirk after all...but it doesn’t mean.”

Shigaraki’s other hand darted out for Izuku’s arm and the greenette struggled to get away from the prying hands...before Shigaraki’s hand stopped ghosting over his arm. 

“That fear in your eyes,” Shigaraki grinned maliciously. “Though...it won’t be anything compared to when Sensei will steal your Quirk.”

Shigaraki loosened his grip completely and walked away casually as if nothing had ever happened. “Be careful, Midoriya Izuku. The next time we meet will be when your fate is decided.”

Shigaraki disappeared into the crowd without another word. Izuku let out the breath he had been holding, tremors wracking through his body. “I need to find someone...someone...”

Izuku pulled out his phone, checking the time. 1:34, his phone read. He coughed, looking around the mall. It wasn’t time to meet back up yet, but he had to find his classmates, had to call the cops, had to do something...

“Midoriya? Is that you?”

Izuku turned, rubbing at his throat. Kirishima and Sero were standing a few feet away. Sero was carrying a bunch of bags on one arm, fiddling with his phone. Izuku shot out of his seat, blinking away the tears pooling.

“Kirishima-kun, Sero-kun, we have to get out of here. Call the police, call everyone, I’ll explain.”

Sero almost dropped his phone as Izuku hastily rambled. Kirishima held his hands up, cocking his head. “Dude, calm down, what’s the matter? You look like you saw a ghost.”

“Villain-!” Izuku choked out, fumbling over his words. Sero dropped his phone this time, eyes widening in equal confusion and surprise. Kirishima looked equally shocked, leaning down to pick up Sero’s cell.

“Shit, alright, wait...I’ll text everyone, hold up...Sero, you get the police...shit...” Kirishima handed Sero his phone, reaching for his own. Kirishima shot a quick text to the class group chat, directing them to come downstairs by the fountain.

“Midoriya, what happened? What villain came?” Kirishima whispered. He caught sight of the red imprints on Izuku’s neck, the slightest resemblance of Shigaraki’s cruel grip.

Izuku coughed again, rubbing at his throat. He inhaled sharply, eyelids fluttering.

“Shigaraki.”

***

Kasumi had refused to leave Izuku’s side after the whole predicament. They were taken over to Officer Tsukauchi where he would ask some questions about what had happened on their run-in with the villain. The shopping district was evacuated immediately and there was no sign of the offending villain in which Kasumi theorized he was taken out of the place by Kurogiri. 

Izuku explained everything in Tsukauchi’s office. He didn’t leave anything out, from the bruises on his neck to what Shigaraki was wearing. 

“It doesn’t seem that Shigaraki and Kurogiri are the only ones apart of the league,” Tsukauchi commented, tapping his pen on his cheek. “If he said something about recruitment, there’s gotta be more of them...”

Izuku hummed. His throat was still sore from earlier, so he opted to only speak when needed.

“About what Shigaraki said, his hatred for All Might is still pretty evident. He kept rambling on about how everything’s because of All Might. I believe it’s his motive, getting rid of All Might. He seems very direct and open about it, if you ask me.” Tsukauchi rubbed at his forehead, raising a brow.

“What concerns me is Shigaraki’s apprehensiveness when it came to killing you.” Izuku leaned forward, fiddling with his fingers. “See, Shigaraki seemed to have no hesitation in attempting to kill All Might back at the USJ, right? Today, he told you he didn’t want to kill you, rather, he’d kill innocent civilians.”

Tsukauchi leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs. “He’s mentioned before about having an interest in you, All Might informed me of that. I don’t really have the full details, but it seems that you’ve piqued an interest in him.”

Both Kasumi and Izuku stiffened. Izuku nodded and he answered shakily. “Yeah, I know All Might told us…”

The officer nodded sympathetically and offered a smile. “Try not to worry about it so much kid. We’ll take care of it. Don’t worry.”

***

The duo were escorted out of the office where they caught sight of the skeletal form of All Might walking over to them. 

“A-All Might?! Why are you here?”

“I was going to check on you,” All Might said. A look of silent understanding passing through him and the Soul Guardian. “We were all worried with how you were virtually being held hostage by the villain.”

Izuku stopped before looking down at his hands...the rabbit charm of his bracelet gleaming in the dim moonlight. “All Might, are there times when you can’t save everyone?”

“As much as I wished otherwise, yes. Right now, someone is probably in danger, being attacked, in pain, and I can’t be there to save them. Even if it’s unfair and stupid, it’s the way of life. I may be the Symbol of Peace, the number one hero, yet there...there are times when saving everyone is not an option.”

“Officer Tsukauchi!”

The four of them turned around to see that there was an officer with a feline complexion...and Midoriya Inko was standing right next to him. Her expression was tear-filled and she rushed forward as the officer continued speaking. “We were able to escort Inko without much effort.”

“Oh! Izuku! Kasumi!”

She rushed forward and enveloped the both of them in a bone-crushing hug.

“My deepest apologies Inko-sama.”

Inko separated from them and held Izuku’s hands in her own. “I can’t take this, Izuku...you’re worrying me,” his mother admitted later. She wiped her eyes with a tissue, sniffling softly. “My heart can’t take it.”

Izuku wiped his own eyes, offering his mother a sympathetic smile. “Mom, please...I’m okay. I’m fine, please don’t cry, I promise I’m fine. See, everyone took care of me...”

Kasumi nodded and pressed a soothing hand on Inko’s shoulder...in an attempt to calm the crying mother. Kasumi looked sorrowfully at the feather perched in the tufts of Izuku’s hair.

_ Yes, definitely...this is all wishful thinking Izuku-sama. _

***

All Might and Tsukauchi sat together in the detective’s office. All Might sipped at his coffee, reading over the file Tsukauchi gave him.

“This time, from what Midoriya-kun told us, it appears it was a coincidental meeting. Even so, it still must have been hard on the kid.”

All Might sat his coffee down, away from the papers. “Young Midoriya is a strong boy. I do worry about him, but he holds his own well.”

Tsukauchi gave a huff of laughter. “He certainly is. Still, I am concerned for him and the other students. If he is being targeted, what’s to say the other students aren’t as well?” The detective rubbed his chin, a habit shown when he was thinking. “It’s almost like these things aren’t coincidental.”

“I believe Yuuei should consider taking bigger steps in protecting their students. I mean no shame, but since something like this has happened, there should be precautions taken. I also believe you should look into leaving Yuuei.”

All Might narrowed his eyes, skimming over the file. “I haven’t been teaching for that long, though.”

“To be honest, you probably shouldn’t have become a teacher in the first place. You’re less than a novice,” Tsukauchi joked. All Might chuckled, wiping his brow.

“Maybe. But I don’t want to leave Yuuei anytime soon. My students are my priority now, I must teach and care for them.”

Tsukauchi wrinkled his brow as All Might continued. “If the darkness pushes forth, we push back even more. Isn’t that the saying Plus Ultra?”

“Ah, you’re right about that.” Tsukauchi cracked a smile. “Still, it may be dangerous for you.”

“It may be. But as the league continues to push onward, I’ll push back three times as strong. I aim to get rid of him this time. For good.”

Tsukauchi hummed in agreement, a determined gleam shone in his dark eyes. “We’re counting on you, All Might.”

***

Summer break had started at least a few weeks ago. Izuku and Kasumi awalwys busied themselves with training but made sure to take rest at times. Kasumi was busy packing a bag of lunch while Izuku indulged in writing down notes in his notebook by watching the footage from the U.A. Sports Festival. That was until...the doorbell rang. Izuku walked out of his room and looked at Kasumi who had finished packing the rest of the food and blinked in confusion.

“Shall I, Izuku-sama?”

“No, I got it,” Izuku replied striding over to the door to open it. He didn’t expect to see that Mineta and Kaminari were at the other side of the door. “Oh...you guys, what brings you here?”

Kasumi walked from the kitchen and joined the greenette to notice underlying traces of pervertedness on both of their smiles. 

“Hey,” Kaminari exchanged a glance with Mineta before looking back up at the two of them. “We were thinking about training at the pools at Yuuei! So we thought you could join us as well.”

Izuku blinked before looking at Kasumi. The Soul Guardian looked at the other two suspiciously before turning to Izuku. “Surely it won’t be much of a hassle. I think we can go to our place after we’re done training with them.”

Izuku blinked and smiled. “Okay then! Let me go get ready!”

He jogged inside and started packing the necessary supplies and Kasumi walked over to him silently.

“Oh and Izuku-sama?”

“Yeah?”

“I suggest that you should invite the others.”

“Is there something wrong?”

“I just have a suspicion that their intentions are not pristine.”

“I’m ready,” Izuku announced. Kaminari and Mineta moved out of the way so Izuku could come stand in the hall. He shut and locked the door after Kasumi made her exit.

“Alright!” Kaminari cheered. “Let’s train!”

”Train!”

***

They walked into familiar school grounds and walked up to the teacher’s lounge where Aizawa was busy with the task of sorting through some paperwork. 

“Aizawa-sensei!” Izuku called and the said pro hero looked up from his paperwork with a small scowl on his face.

“What is it?”

“Can we go and use the pool until 5:00?” Izuku asked motioning over to himself, Kaminari, and Mineta. (Kasumi was residing within the greenette)

“Sure, whatever,” Aizawa grumbled before returning to his paperwork. Kaminari and Mineta seemed to be happy with something...Izuku noted. What was that about? 

“Kaminari-kun, Mineta-kun, thank you for inviting me,” Izuku murmured excitedly back in the locker room. “Using the school pool is perfect for training!”

Kaminari and Mineta finished changing, jumping in front of Izuku. “Right! Plus Ultra!” they announced at the same time, fists high in the air. Izuku smiled.

“Ultra!”

Mineta and Kaminari shared another look that Izuku couldn’t decipher. They both turned towards the door, rushing out of the room. “Let’s go!”

Izuku looked over at them walking slowly. “What’s wrong with them?”

“ _ I deduct that they want to be perverts to some extent. I remember being invited by the girls of the Class to a recreational swim gathering, Izuku-sama. _ ”

“Well I mean there in for a disappointment right?” Izuku laughed nervously. He tugged at the band of his waistband nervously. 

The school-issued swimsuits were very plain. Izuku himself had never actually been to the school pool before, as he never had much plans to do so, but he could see why people didn’t enjoy it that much. The school swimsuits were bland and boring, and a tad uncomfortable. Students weren’t allowed to bring their own suits because of dress-code issues.

Iida greeted the three of them outside. “You’re late!”

Mineta and Kaminai were laying on the ground. “When did you get here?!” Kaminari cried, pointing an denunciatory finger at Iida. Iida gestured towards Midoriya.

“Midoriya-kun invited us all!”

Izuku smiled sheepishly at his classmates, shrugging as if to say ‘oops’.

“I didn’t know if you invited anyone else, so I asked everyone to come!” Izuku replied cheerfully. “We can all train together.”

Kaminari groaned, letting his head fall back gently yet dramatically onto the concrete. “You’re too nice, Midoriya.”

Izuku sighed and looked at the other side of the pool to see the girls stretching. They were all in their one-piece school swimming suits. He waved to them and they smiled and waved back.

“Isn’t Kasumi going to join?” Ashido called. “I mean we did invite her.”

“Well,” Izuku shrugged. “I don’t remember going out to buy her a swimsuits. Also…” The greenette gestured over to the guys, specifically Kaminari and Mineta. “I don’t think she does want to expose too much skin.”

“It’s fine, Izuku-sama.”

Izuku jumped and turned to see that Kasumi was standing there. She was in the school swimsuit, her hair was still let out in the same style, the golden circlet still sitting around her forehead. “I did request for a delivery from U.A. when they invited. I apologize for not informing you Izuku-sama.”

The greenette blinked before nodding and smiling. “It’s fine, Kasumi! I don’t want our connection to keep you from being able to hang out with friends.”

Kasumi smiled brightly and walked over to the girls of Class 1-A. Iida approached the sulking, disappointed forms of Mineta and Kaminari. His arms were outstretched, as if he’d envelope them in a hug. “Kaminari-kun, Mineta-kun, suggesting a class training is a wonderful idea! Thank you both!”

Kaminari and Mineta tried to scurry away, but Iida lifted them up in his (quite muscular) arms and carried them back.

Izuku turned around to engage in eye contact with a certain mismatched pair of eyes. Todoroki blinked before putting a hand up in a greeting. Izuku felt his heart stutter from the simple gesture. Why was he going crazy over just one little simple motion? Izuku swallowed the emotion before raising a hand and flashing a wide smile back. 

Shouto on the other hand...he stopped when Izuku’s smile. The smile that stretched almost an inhuman length and his eyes crinkling in happiness and pure mirth. Shouto gulped...just why was he being caught up in emotions like these and why was his chest pounding so much at the simple smile? 

Their trains of thoughts were broken up as Iida raised a hand high in the air. “Everyone! Let’s warm up!” Iida announced, chopping the air. “Warming-up is essential when preparing for physical activity! So everyone, gather around!”


	16. Before the Storm Comes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After shenanigans at the pool, the journey to U.A.'s Summer Training Camp begins!

“Twenty squats everyone!”

Most of the people groaned around the greenette as he made quick work of the task and surprised everyone when he finished rather quickly and stopped to watch the others doing their warming-up regimen. 

“H-How is he able t-to get it d-done so fast?!”

Todoroki finished and Iida chopped at Midoriya robotically after finishing his own set. “Midoriya-kun! Have you trained with a hero?”

Izuku blinked before shaking his head and gesturing over to Kasumi. “I only trained with Kasumi. She can be brutal at times. I remember her telling me something like doing 100 push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and 10km dashes...I mean that’s only how I got here.”

Everyone turned their necks like broken clocks to face the Soul Guardian.

Kasumi was currently engaged in learning how to play water polo with the girls. A bright smile was gracing her features as she pushed her feet in a kicking motion to intercept a ball and hit it right back up in the air.

“You’re a natural at this Kasumi!” Jiro complimented as she jumped and hit the ball at Hagakure.

“Yeah you’re really good! Are you sure you haven’t played water polo before?”

Kasumi blushed from embarrassment and then hit the ball over to Uraraka who hit the ball back in the air with her forearms, careful not to make the ball weightless. “Ah, but you praise me too much. I am merely humbled for you to think that I am experienced at this activity.”

“She’s a brutal person?” almost all of the males deadpanned looking at Izuku. 

The greenette blinked before Todoroki came to the rescue. “I’ve seen him doing push-ups at the park reading a book aloud while Kasumi was holding a book at least a few meters away. Also, made him do three kilometer dashes over and over again until he could get it under six minutes and thirty seconds.”

People shuddered, and they didn’t question the aloof boy’s words. Izuku on the other hand gushed over how Todoroki paid attention to these types of things.

“Anyways! Let us continue with the warm-ups!”

***

It took at last ten minutes or so before Iida deemed that the boys of Class 1-A were warmed up enough. Fortunately for the girls, they reserved the pool for recreational purposes so they didn’t need to have to warm up with the rest of the class. Iida had pulled up a semi-large ice box and handed out cans of ice cold orange juice.

Aoyama was busy being nauseous while Koda was warily trying to assist. There seemed to be not much the poor guy could do, but he was concerned nonetheless.

“Hey, Midoriya-kun,” Iida approached the green-haired boy. “Here. Take this.” Iida handed Izuku a can of orange juice. “You need to relax for a bit.”

“Ah, thanks, Iida-kun.” Izuku took the drink and cracked it open, taking a sip in the same breath. It was refreshing, especially on a hot day like today.

Todoroki planted himself next to Iida, seemingly appearing out of thin air.

“Can I have another can?” Todoroki asked. He pointed towards his empty one expectantly.

Iida turned to Todoroki and smiled. “Of course, Todoroki-kun! Here!” Iida handed Todoroki another can, but the boy still didn’t leave.

Iida turned to sit on the jumping stand. Izuku wiped his mouth, purposefully trying to avoid looking at Todoroki. “What’s the matter, Iida-kun?”

Iida laughed, crossing his feet. “Oh, it’s nothing.” The tall boy was silent for a moment, as if he were lost in thought. ”You know, Midoriya-kun, back at the entrance exams, I never saw myself becoming your friend.”

Izuku was taken by surprise as Iida spoke. “Oh?”

“I don’t mean to be rude, but at the time, I didn’t even think you were serious about coming to Yuuei.” Iida chuckled, reminiscent.

“Ah...” Izuku dropped his grin. In its place, a curious expression was plastered. Todoroki seemed to be interested as well, taking occasional sips of his cold juice.

“But then, during the practical exam, you and Kasumi put Uraraka-kun’s life first. You decided to save her instead of focusing on making sure that you have a secure place of passing the entrance exam. That’s when I realized how amazing you truly were.”

Izuku blushed, flattered by Iida’s praise. “Ah...well, it was always my dream to come to Yuuei, but I still didn’t think it was right to watch someone about to get pummeled by a large robot. I didn’t really regret doing that for Uraraka-san, though!” Izuku laughed wistfully.

“But it really wasn’t all that, Iida-kun. It was just an exam.”

Iida smiled fondly at Izuku. “You never gave up, did you? During the combat training against myself and Bakugo-kun, you still did your best. Everything you do, you always put 100% into it.”

Iida stood back up, gazing up at the sky. Todoroki took a step back, finishing up his juice. 

“Yeah,” the icy-hot boy agreed.

“Midoriya-kun, even though you were reckless, I felt your power. I felt how you were almost destined to be a hero. I felt how tenacious you were, how you’ve got to be one of the strongest people I know.”

Izuku smiled at his two friends. “Iida-kun, I’m not that great! I’m honestly just here from the help of others. I still need to work harder if I want to achieve my dreams.” Izuku pumped a fist to the sky, grinning.

“NO SHIT! I’M NOT GONNA LOSE AGAIN TO A NERD LIKE YOU, DEKU!”

Izuku jumped at the familiar voice of Bakugo, his arm falling back down. The spiky boy marched forward, his face displaying his usual scornful appearance. “Kacchan?!”

Kirishima slid forward, holding out an arm to stop Bakugo’s ill-intentioned approach. 

“Sorry we’re so late!” Kirishima grinned apologetically. “Explodo-boy was angry at me for trying to drag him out of the house, but we’re here now! Although I’m not really sure Bakugo wants to be, but I don’t care.”

Kirishima let go as Bakugo stopped moving. Izuku breathed a sigh of relief, an almost-huff of laughter. “Explodo-boy, huh?”

“Hey, Deku!” Izuku looked up, meeting Bakugo’s angry glare. “Wanna decide who’s the strongest right now, since your idiot ass won’t stop going on about it?!” 

Explosions set off in the boy’s hands, and Kirishima had to hold him back again.

“N-No?” Izuku replied, holding up his hands defensively. Todoroki snorted, raising a bemused brow.

“It’d be amusing to watch Bakugo get beaten by Midoriya.” Todoroki muttered under his breath. Izuku flushed red for the hundredth time that day.

Iida had an idea after that. The boys would race across the 50-meter long pool to see who was the fastest swimmer. The girls would help decide who won. 

“I’ll beat you, Deku!” Bakugo announced proudly then he turned to point daggers at Todoroki. “You too, Icyhot!”

“It’s just a race...” Izuku murmured, massaging the bridge of his nose. “I do want to win, though,” he mused silently.

“Then!” all the males turned to see that the girls were standing from the side of the pool with determined expressions on their faces. Yaoyorozu was speaking, “We’ll help prepare and time the race!”

***

The first boys up were Mineta, Tokoyami, Kaminari, Koda, and Bakugo.

Although the objective was to swim, Bakugo clearly ignored that. He used his explosions to propel himself over the pool, coming in an undeserving first. Sero and Kirishima thoroughly scolded him, pointing fingers and arguing unreasonably. Kasumi, Izuku noticed seemed completely exasperated with the attitude of the boy. 

The next set of boys were Sato, Aoyama, Todoroki, Kirishima, and Sero. Although Izuku didn’t say anything about it, he had his money on Todoroki.

It seemed that the only ones who decided to swim were Sato and Kirishima. Sero, Aoyama, and Todoroki all used their quirks to get across. Aoyama ended up accidentally sabotaging himself and Sero, as he forgot about his time limit. Todoroki used his ice-surfboard and came in first, as expected.

The next group up was Shoji, Ojiro, Iida, and Izuku. 

“Good luck, Izuku-sama!” Kasumi called. Izuku pulled a thumbs up and some of the males were glowering at his direction in pure jealousy.

Iida hadn’t swam either, although he was the one to enforce the rule. He used his engines to fly on the taut rope instead.

Izuku grit his teeth and activated Full Cowl. With the help of this one quirk, Izuku came in first, but just barely.

Izuku helped Iida out of the water, pulling him up. “Good job, Midoriya-kun,” Iida congratulated. Izuku smiled up at his friend, proud.

“You did great too, Iida-kun!”

Todoroki watched as the greenette talked happily and cheerfully with the bespectacled boy. He blinked and looked at his left hand. 

_ “Your Quirk doesn’t define you! What you do with it does!” _

_ “Whatever happened to you! It doesn’t matter! You can be a hero!” _

Shouto blinked from the flashback of memories and pressed his hand against his bare chest. If it weren’t for the greenette, he would’ve never gone this far in using his left side. His heart pounded quickly underneath his hand. What was it that kept his heart racing like this? Admiration? Fondness? Or maybe even attraction? Shouto stopped and caught sight of Kasumi looking at him and Izuku with a sweet smile on her face...what was going on in the Soul Guardian’s mind?

***

The winners of each round would compete against each other for the final race: Todoroki, Midoriya, and Bakugo.

“Oi, Icyhot!” Bakugo barked in his usual, irritated tone. “Don’t half-ass everything like the Sports Festival!”

Todoroki nodded. “Okay.”

“You too, Deku!”

“Uh...”

Just how was Izuku supposed to not half-ass his Quirks with Kasumi not being allowed to swim with him? Sometimes, the greenette questioned if Bakugo ever paid any attention except to himself.

Iida lined them all up on the diving boards. The teens cheered for their respective friends, everyone each shouting a different name.

“On your marks!” Izuku activated Full Cowl, power crackling through his whole body.

“Get set!” Izuku took a deep breath, eyes trained at the end of the pool.

_ “I’m gonna blast my way to the finish!” _

_ “I’ll use my ice to get there first!” _

_ “I’ll swim to the finish first!” _

“Go!” The whistle blew, and they were off.

Well, Izuku was off. The other two just plopped into the water hilariously.

Izuku’s head rose out of the water, shooting a confused glance to his classmates. “Huh?”

Aizawa was standing behind the rest of class A, quirk activated and eyes glowing. “It’s past 5. Your training is over now. Go home.”

“Sensei!” Kaminari complained. “Just a couple more minutes!”

“Yeah, we just got to the best part!” Sero reasoned, pointing towards the three boys.

Aizawa glared at them. “Midoriya got the farthest, so he won. Now hurry up and get out of here.”

Izuku pulled himself out of the pool and Kasumi reached out to help the male onto his feet. “You did well, Izuku-sama!”

“Thanks, Kasumi!”

“Platonic relationship, my ass,” Kaminari grumbled under his breath. “They go all lovey dovey almost all the time, it pisses me off.”

Shouto blinked from the male’s grumbling and turned to Izuku in which he had exchanged a few words with Kasumi, before the Soul Guardian promptly disappeared into the greenette’s chest. Izuku turned to Todoroki...he had a smile on his face, but his face was flushed red for some reason. He waved enthusiastically...Shouto blinked and put up his own hand up in a form of goodbye. 

***

The stars twinkling in the night sky above...the air only filled with the scent of the ocean and the soothing sound of the waves lapping against the sand. Kasumi decided that this place was truly a paradise to escape from stress of the everyday world. Izuku looked out at the dark horizon and took in a deep breath.

“Izuku-sama,” Kasumi asked tentatively. “What is it that compelled you to come to this destination?”

Izuku turned to the Soul Guardian. “Well...A-All Might?”

The two of the turned to see the bony silhouette of the pro hero walking towards them. “Midoriya-shonen? How come you’re here, my boy?”

All Might, clad in normal work clothes. “Oh, I’m here because...it’s kind of nostalgic, I guess. Thinking about it, this place was my start line, wasn’t it?”

“It was.” All Might grinned down at him. Kasumi reminded herself that this was the start line on their physical training to attain All Might’s One For All.  “Training camp is soon, my boy. It won’t be easy, I hope you know that.”

Izuku smiled softly. “We do. We’re prepared, though.”

“I expect nothing less. I hope the two of you will do your best.”

“Of course!”

***

“Are you sure you have everything?” Inko worriedly repeated for the umpteenth time. For the umpteenth time, Izuku nodded frantically and assured his mother that he would be fine.

”Yes! I’ve got everything. Everything as in all the things I need, mom! I’ll be okay.” 

Inko sighed, cupping her own face with her hands. 

“I’m sorry, baby, I’m just worried. A whole week away from home is a long time! And you won’t be able to text me during the day so I can make sure you’re okay.” Inko fretted, her brow crinkling with worry.

”Mom,” Izuku started once more. “I can still text you before I go to bed. I’ve gotta get going now, Aizawa-sensei might leave me behind if I’m late,” he joked.

Inko placed her hands on her son’s shoulders, staring into his eyes as if it were an interrogation. “You’ll call me every night?”

”Yes.”

“You’ll tell me how you and your friends are doing?”

”Of course.”

”You won’t hurt yourself?”

”I can’t guarantee anything.”

Inko frowned at him. ”You’ll tell me if there’s anything wrong?”

”Yes.”

The woman finally smiled. She released Izuku’s shoulders and nudged him, pushing him out the open door. “Alright then. Have fun please!”

”Yes, mom!”

Izuku pressed his back against the closed front door and placed a hand over his chest. “ _ Something amiss, Izuku-sama? _ ”

“No,” Izuku shook his head. “I’m really excited...but also a little bit scared at the same time.”

“ _ Apprehension? _ ” Kasumi suggested. “ _ I’m sure we’ll do fine, Izuku-sama. We’ll learn many things to improve our quirk and One For All that we could use at our own training. _ ”

“You’re right,” Izuku said in a hushed tone before he pumped a fist into the air and looked up at the bright blue sky. “We’ll learn so much and be one step closer to being heroes!”

“ _ Definitely! _ ”

***

“We’ve finally finished our first semester here at Yuuei,” Aizawa informed the group of rowdy, bustling students. “Even if it is summer vacation, you will not be allotted time to rest over the break. Becoming a hero is to push yourself constantly. During the training camp, you’ll all be working hard. That’s what Plus Ultra is, right?”

“Yes, sir!” the class chorused. Aizawa nodded at the crowd of teens, flicking his wrist as if to say  ‘do what you want before we leave.’

Izuku dropped his head, rubbing the lingering sleepiness from his eyes. Once he glanced up, Izuku was met face to face with a boisterous Uraraka.

“Deku-kun! We’re gonna go to training camp in the forest! Are you ready?”

Izuku took a few steps back from the brown-haired girl. “Of course, Uraraka-san!” 

Uraraka opened her eyes to glance up at Izuku. She flushed red before bouncing away, supposedly embarrassed. “Training camp! Training camp!” she chanted, clapping back and forth. Kaminari and Ashido joined in, clapping and cheering. 

“ _ They all seem very excited Izuku-sama. Don’t you think? _ ”

“Yeah,” Izuku smiled. “They all are.”

There was some loud jeering and the greenette turned around to see that Monoma was trying to jeer something at Class 1-A...but Kendo immediately ended the madness with a swift chop to the head. 

“Sorry, class A!” she called, waving a hand. Kendo dragged Monoma on the bus by the back of his shirt, signaling for the rest of her class to board as well.

The girls of class B waved at their opposites as they boarded. Mineta murmured something about “an all-you-can-eat buffet,” prompting Kirishima to grimace towards the smaller teen. Muttering his disapproval, Kirishima pulled his brows together in a scowl towards the token pervert.

“Everyone! Class A’s bus is here!” Iida announced dutifully, performing his trademark hand-chopping gesture. “Line up in single-file and get in your seats quickly!”

Izuku half-expected Iida to order everyone around after that, but the diligent boy just climbed onto the bus without another word. The male took in a deep breath.

“Ready Kasumi?”

“ _ As always, Izuku-sama _ .”

He boarded the bus and proceeded to pick out a seat closer to the middle, placing his baggage into the overhead compartment, and then plopped onto the cushioned seat letting out a shallow sigh. He just needed to wait an hour or so before they arrived at the summer camp...at least the ridiculous antics of Class A would be amusing and time-consuming.

“Is this seat taken?”

Izuku blinked and looked up to see that Todoroki was standing there with his hand placed on the handle of the overhead compartment. It was a pleasant sight...to Izuku’s dismay. 

“U-uh n-no!” Izuku tapped his index fingers together nervously. “You can sit h-here if you w-want!”

Izuku hates his nervousness now more than ever. Melting to a pile on the floor just because his...crush was there standing close to him. Shouto blinked before taking the initiative and sitting down close to Izuku, to the greenette’s dismay. 

“ _ How am I supposed to survive this Kasumi? _ ”

Kasumi giggled at Izuku’s distress and gave him her input. “ _ Maybe strike up a conversation with him, Izuku-sama. Time always seems to pass quickly if you’re engaged deeply in a conversation. Right? _ ”

Izuku gulped and turned to Shouto who was scrolling through his phone...he could’ve sworn that the other male had watched him from the corner of his eye. 

“ _ I don’t know what to say, Kasumi! _ ”

“ _ Shall I be of assistance then, Izuku-sama? _ ”

“ _ PLEASE!!! _ ”

Kasumi laughed quietly to herself. “ _ Just follow my lead, Izuku-sama...Hey, Shouto-kun, I’ve seen your quirk a lot before, but have you ever tried crafting something with your ice, or regulating the temperature of your fire? _ ”

Izuku stopped...he really needed to thank Kasumi for picking out a topic he was interested and comfortable with. “Hey, Shouto-kun, I’ve seen your quirk a lot before, but have you ever tried crafting something with your ice, or regulating the temperature of your fire?”

Todoroki blinked. He looked up from his phone and looked at Izuku’s smiling face. He felt his heart skip a beat from the expression and decided to humor Izuku with the information. “I actually haven’t tried that.”

“ _ Do you need any other assistance? _ ”

“ _ No you don’t need to! Thanks! _ ”

“It could give a lot of utility!” Izuku continued gesturing wildly with his hands. “Like making armor with your ice, or probably like having...blue fire?”

Shouto blinked and recalled at how his father could sometimes generate blue fire. Izuku noticed that the male seemed a bit shaken up. The greenette stopped realizing his carelessness. 

“Shouto-kun?” he asked tentatively reaching out and putting his hand over his. 

“It’s nothing,” the said male shook his head. “You did say...that this is my power.”

Izuku stopped...tears welled up and threatened to spill but he smiled. “Yeah!”

***

They continued the conversation with the greenette enthusiastically sprouting ideas one after another, and somewhat piquing Todoroki’s interest. Like making a gauntlet of ice and increasing the amount of armor and defense he had...he continued on with generating blue fire and how it would be useful in situation where normal fire wouldn’t be of much use. Though the greenette started dozing off and Todoroki...well he didn’t mind that the greenette propped his head against his shoulders, but it left a giddy feeling in his chest. 


	17. To Forge the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training Camp begins and our heroic duo are already facing themselves with a rather peculiar obstacle.

Izuku awoke to the feeling of someone nudging his cheek. He groaned, snuggling closer into...whatever it was. It was a little bit cold, like a blanket left unoccupied for too long.   
  
“Midoriya.” That was Todoroki’s voice. Izuku cracked opened his eyes, taking in the sight of a uniform.   
  
“We’re here, I think.”   
  
Dazed, Izuku lifted his head off Todoroki’s shoulder and blinked. “What?”   
  
”Training camp. We’re here.” Todoroki moved to stand up, gifting Izuku one last fleeting glance and retreated. Izuku yawned and rubbed his eyes tapping a finger against his chest. 

 

“Kasumi?”

 

The wind swirled about in the bus as the pale green light formed Kasumi’s form. “Let’s get going, Izuku-sama.”

 

The both of them clambered off the bus and joined the rest of the Class standing around and marvelling the vast scenery of the forest stretched for kilometers for the eye to see. There was a frantic Mineta that kept on complaining and dancing about for his need to use the restroom. Izuku leaned back his head and yawned, stretching his stiff body. He straightened out, clasping his hands together behind his back.

Aizawa stuffed his hands in his pockets, ignoring Mineta’s whining. “We didn’t stop randomly, you know.”

Over to the side, two car doors opened, revealing two ladies dressed in cat outfits.

“Hey, Aizawa!” one with brown hair called out. Aizawa bowed respectfully at the cat-ladies.

“It’s been a while, Mandalay.”

Mandalay, the one with brown hair, winked. “It has!” She grinned cheerfully at class A.

“Lock on with your sparkling gazes!”

Her blonde partner danced around. “We’re stingingly cute and surprisingly catlike!”

In unison, Mandalay and her partner cheered. “Wild, Wild Pussycats!” A young boy stood next to the two women, looking quite irritated. The boy reminded Izuku of a mini-Aizawa with his etched-on scowl.

“These women and two others will be the pros you’ll be working with.” Aizawa jerked a thumb towards the two cat-ladies, who were still posed.

“Wild, Wild Pussycats?” Izuku murmured thoughtfully. The name sounded extremely familiar. “Oh, wait! I know who they are! They’re that hero team that formed after they graduated! They usually specialize in things like rescues, I believe! This is gonna be their twelfth yea-“

Before he could finish his   fanboy-inspired rave, Izuku was interrupted with a paw to the face. “Can it, Freckles! I’m 18 at heart! 18!” The blonde cat-woman’s pointed claws darted out, daring Izuku to disagree.

“You’re 18!” Izuku cried.

She let go, grinning mischievously at Izuku. Izuku pouted, slapping his hands over his chubby cheeks.

“Are you okay, Izuku-sama?” Kasumi asked leaning in close to see if there were any scratches on his face. 

“No! No! I’m fine!” Izuku waved his hands frantically trying not to worry the Soul Guardian. 

“Everyone, that’s Pixie-Bob, and that’s Mandalay,” Aizawa introduced the two, gesturing to each woman. Pixie-Bob, the blonde one, flicked her tail in a gesture of fondness and grinned cheekily at the teens.

Mandalay waved. “It’s nice to meet you all!” Class A bowed politely.

Mandalay gestured down to the colorful and massive forestland. “We own all this land! It’s a couple hundred acres, super big. You kids-“ the hero gestured with her paw to the visitors. “-are going to be staying down there! The foot of this mountain.”

“Down there?” Ashido squeaked, soaking in how far away their temporary-home was. “Why did we stop...up here?”

Kasumi blinked and put a hand on Izuku’s arm. “Izuku-sama…”

Tsu placed a finger on her chin. “I think we’d have to...”

A beat of silence passed as the unfortunate students became conscious of what they had to do. Izuku blinked and pale green aura shrouded both himself and the Soul Guardian...his legs were tensed in a motion to jump.

Sero laughed nervously, clumsily stepping backwards. “Hey guys, let’s go back...to the bus now...” The boy turned, a bead of sweat rolling down his face.

“Yeah, let’s do that...” Kirishima repeated, slowly backing up.

Mandalay flicked her tail, grinning deviously from ear to ear. “Oh, but where’s the the fun in that? It’s 9:30 right now, wanna see if you all can get there by noon?”

“Uh...”

“Guys, hurry!” Kaminari shouted, barreling through Jiro and Koda. The class turned on their heels, trying to escape their inevitable fate.

Pixie-Bob bounced in front of the teens, blocking their escape. “Not so fast, kittens!”

She activated her quirk on the ground, turning the clearing they were on into a landslide.

“WHAT THE HELL?”

Most of the students started falling away while Kasumi and Izuku leaped into the air. Mandalay looked up at the two of them as they descended to the ground with the wind picking up around them to leave them gently landing on their feet. 

Pixie-Bob hissed at Izuku. “Hey, you go down too, kitten! That’s not fair for the rest of them!”

Izuku blinked and looked at Kasumi who blinked back confusedly in reply. 

“That’s true,” Mandalay nodded. “The two of you must be the Soul Guardian duo at the Sports Festival. I’m not surprised to think that you were able to avoid that easily.”

“Ah but you appraise us too much,” Kasumi bowed respectfully. “We thought that it would be imperative to see all situations and look pass the mask.”

“Well,” Mandalay continued with genuine appraisal laced in her voice. “I know the two of you will be successful...but I’m sure your classmates wouldn’t like their current situation at all.”

As if on cue there was a loud voice that resounded through the air. 

“Midoriya! Come down here and suffer with us like a man!”

Izuku chuckled sheepishly and looked over the cliff to see that the classmates were looking up at him with something reminiscent of anger. 

“Kasumi?” Izuku turned to the Soul Guardian. “Shall we go?”

“I’ll be right with you, Izuku-sama,” Kasumi answered dutifully. She summoned her staff and the duo grabbed the handle before jumping and plummeting towards the ground...at the last moment the air fashioned around them and alighted them on the ground softly.

Mandalay peeked over the side of the clearing above. “Oi, kittens! Use your quirks however you want! This is private land! You have three hours to make it back to the facility, just get through the Beast’s Forest!”

The Beast’s Forest didn’t seem so beastly, but it appeared whatever obstacle was in there was hidden by the massive trees.

Mineta popped up from the dirt pile and took off, chanting “I have to pee!” He disappeared into the forest, but was faced with what must have been what Mandalay was talking about.

A beast.

It looked like it was made out of dirt. Pixie-Bob must have used her quirk to create it. Mineta howled, irritating Pixie-Bob’s creation more than he already had. The beast brung up a claw, prepared to strike the teen. Though before it could...a wind gale had erupted forwards and staggered the beast’s movement, enough for Izuku to take initiative and leap into the air. He punched downwards and wind pierced through the head making it fall forwards with a deafening  _ thud!  _

“We have to get through the forest fighting all of these!” Izuku yelled standing from the remains and piles of dirt. “They’re only made out of dirt!! Just make sure you don’t exhaust yourself too much!”

“I apologize for the current predicament,” Kasumi bowed to the other classmates. “Due to these...non-living beasts will be standing in our pathway, my power to restrain will not have any effect on any of them.”

“It’s okay, Kasumi-kun,” Uraraka shook her head. “We’ll just have to push forward!”

“RIGHT!!!”

With an uproar of battle cries and determined efforts, Class 1-A took the initiative and began to charge forward...to push through to their goal.

Continuing to charge forward, they had reached a small clearing where a bunch of dirt monsters were roaming about. Izuku and Kasumi were the only ones ahead as of now and the duo nodded to each other.

“Let’s go Kasumi!”

“Yes! Izuku-sama!”

Like how they practiced times before, Izuku sprinted forward and leaped into the air with Kasumi’s staff bringing the staff down against the ground. The wind ripped outwards from the male and pushed the dirt beasts back. He flipped backwards and thrusted the staff forwards repeatedly to send out missiles of condensed green energy. The others came forward and they were hit with a wind of revitalization...it was a new technique that Kasumi had implemented to further an advantage, use her healing during the attack to make people obtain a newfound energy and have their wounds healed. 

“Kasumi!”

The staff flew out of Izuku’s hands and spun forward conjuring a tornado in its wake. 

“Starwind Link!”

Kasumi and Izuku landed an attack on the beast near them and the rest of the beasts had been taken down easily. 

“Let us continue!!”

***

The sky bled with colors of red, orange, and hues of gold. It was definitely way past lunch and the three pro heroes were waiting in front of the forest in front of the lodgings. 

“It’s pretty late,” Pixie-Bob observed looking up at the sky. “Are they still out here?”

“No,” Aizawa replied. “They’re here.”

The sounds of weary footsteps and heavy breathing began to become heard as Izuku was the first one to trudge out of the forest. He used Kasumi’s staff as a hiking stick as the Soul Guardian leaned against the greenette breathing heavily. 

One by one the others trudged out of the forest with Todoroki being a close second, trying to make sure that Izuku or Kasumi wouldn’t collapse from sheer exhaustion. 

“Ah, you’re all here, nya!” Pixie-Bob cheered gleefully. “You all took a very long time. It’s way past lunch!”

As if on cue, several people collapsed onto the ground out of sheer exhaustion. 

“How were we supposed to finish that in three hours?” Jiro grumbled, annoyed. “I’m so tired...”

“Three hours would’ve been how long we could do!” Mandalay chirped unhelpfully. People stopped and stared at her with an expression that screamed  _ really?! _

Kirishima threw his head back and let out a deep sigh. “I’m starving! So hungry...I think I might die.”

Mandalay giggled into her paws. “Awww, but you guys didn’t take as long as we thought! You guys did well with Pixie-Bob’s beasts! I was really surprised.”

“Especially-!” Pixie-Bob jumped into action. “You four!” She pointed at Izuku, Todoroki, Bakugo, and Iida. “You’re all amazing! Especially you, Freckles! Your quirk is so well-suited with all your classmates, you make excellent back-up! I call dibs on all of you in three years!”

Pixie-Bob danced around the four, praising them incessantly and sillily to kiss their cheeks. Kasumi on the other hand had trudged away from the group of boys in an attempt to make sure that she wasn’t touched at all.

Aizawa gestured toward the commotion with an expected blank face. “Is she always like this?” he questioned.

Mandalay laughed. “Ah, she’s just...desperate. She’s the suitable age for...that.”

“Speaking of age-!” Izuku interjected, only to once more be smothered with Pixie-Bob’s paw.

“Whose kid is that?” Izuku mumbled into the woman’s paw. Blindly, he pointed to the little boy beside Mandalay, whose scowl deepened.

Pixie-Bob released Izuku’s face. Mandalay gestured towards the small boy. “His name is Kota, he’s my nephew.” Mandalay patted his red hat. “Say hi, Kota. Be nice.”

Izuku approached Kota. He stood over the young boy, smiling warmly at him. “Hi, Kota-kun! My name’s Midoriya Izuku! Me and my friends are all from Yuuei’s hero course. It’s nice to meet you.” Izuku reached out a hand for the boy to shake.

But...Kota punched forward before Izuku could do anything and a breeze had picked up dragging Izuku away by at least five centimeters to avoid a punch coming for where ‘the sun don’t shine.’ 

“Please be careful, Izuku-sama,” Kasumi sighed. “Please don’t let your guard down even if it is a mere child.”

Iida, dramatic as always, rushed to Izuku’s side, placing a supportive hand on his back. The bespectacled boy chopped towards Kota. “You are a menace! Why would you try do that to Midoriya-kun’s scrotum?!”

Kota turned his head to glower at Iida. “I don’t care to be friends with wanna-be heroes like you!” he bit acrimoniously.

“Wanna-be’s?!” Iida repeated, offended. Izuku regained his composure, trying to ignore the fact that a child tried to punched him in the balls.

“I’m f-fine, Iida-kun,” Izuku claimed. His ears burned a bright red as he spoke, smiling sheepishly.

Aizawa silenced the class with a disproving grunt. “Everyone calm down. Go get your stuff off the bus, and when you’re done unpacking, we will be having dinner in the cafeteria. When you’re done eating, you’ll bathe and get to bed. Today was just a test.” Aizawa gestured toward the facility, jerking a thumb. “Get to it.”

Izuku bit at the inside of his cheek, cracking his fingers. The rest of his class began to mill around, leaving to gather their items from the vehicle.

“Just a test?”

***

_ Itadakimasu!!! _

All of Class A sat at the bench and began gobbling down food...Kasumi on the other hand opted to rest within Izuku for the time being to replenish her energy. 

“Hey, Deku-kun,” Uraraka looked up from her bowl of rice. “Isn’t Kasumi-kun going to eat with us?”

“Well,” Izuku rubbed the back of his head. “Kasumi doesn’t really need food and water like us. She says that she can just replenish her energy being inside of me...I don’t know how it works but she says she isn’t gonna eat.”

“Wow,” Kirishima looked up. “That’s pretty handy.”

“Oh,” Yaoyorozu piped up. “I’ve been wondering for a while now. But what is the situation with Kasumi-san’s crystal. You know? The one on her chest?”

“Oh! That!” Izuku rubbed his finger against his cheek sheepishly. “You see apparently Kasumi thinks of it as her...heart.”

“Her heart?”

“Yeah...that crystal is what anchors her to me. It’s what feeds her power to keep her physical form and all that. So she likes to think of it as her heart.”

“Oh, that’s...wow.”

“Isn’t it a bit dangerous for her to keep it out like that?” Todoroki asked.

“If that were the case then Kasumi wouldn’t be here. Her crystal is probably twice as hard as diamond. So you can’t really destroy it per se.”

“Oh, that’s a relief,” Yaoyorozu sighed.

Izuku nodded in reply and continued to stuff his mouth with a bunch of rice picking at the side dishes to replenish his energy. The room was filled with loud boisterous yelling and the unpleasant smacking sound of people eating with their mouths open. Though no one paid any mind seeing as they were dying to have some food. 

Izuku looked up and watched Kota grumble along, carrying vegetables per Mandalay’s request. The poor kid seemed so angry and bitter for some reason. All of his negative feelings appeared to be directed towards the Yuuei students, who Kota barely even knew.

_ I wonder why he’s like that? _

***

“Oi! Midoriya! Hurry up! There’s a hot spring!”

“I’ll be there in a moment Kirishima-kun!” Izuku yelled back. “I need to get dressed first! You go on first!”

“Don’t be late!”

Izuku sighed and quickly dispensed of his clothes soaked with dry sweat. Izuku placed a palm over his chest...Kasumi was still there...but she wasn’t paying attention to the outside world  in courtesy of the boy’s privacy. 

The first thing he witnessed was Iida shouting at Mineta, scolding him for trying to peek at the girls. Nothing unusual, that was typical Mineta behavior. Izuku plopped into the pearly water and looked to see that he had sit next to...Todoroki by pure luck. Why was the whole world against him?! To fight down his embarrassment he spoke up. 

“Shouto-kun...was Mineta like that before I got here?”

Izuku jolted as he felt eyes travel to his back...his intuition told him that it was Mineta trying to see if Kasumi was there either. 

The aloof male nodded. “Yeah...he’s always been like that. I’m not so surprised.”

“Is that so,” Izuku chuckled. Izuku jumped...startled at Iida’s sudden loud yelling and he turned to see that Mineta was using his Quirk to get up and over the wall. 

“Um...should we do something?” Ojiro asked nervously. Kaminari shrugged, sinking deeper into the water.

Mineta had almost reached the top, before Kota appeared. The small boy withheld a scornful expression as Mineta’s voice cracked.

“If you’re gonna be a hero, act like a person.” With that, Kota swatted away Mineta’s free hand, scowling down at the tiny teen.

Mineta fell, cursing nonsensically all the way down. “Damn kid!” As he soared through the air, his towel unceremoniously slipped off as well.

Poor Iida managed to be the  butt-end of Mineta’s tricks.

_ Literally. _

“Yay-yay!” came Ashido’s voice from the other side. “Mineta sure is annoying, isn’t he? Thanks, Kota-kun, you’re a lifesaver!” Izuku could almost see Ashido jumping and cheering.

Kota made the mistake of glancing down at the girls. He shrieked, taking a step back, his nose letting out spurts of blood. In doing so, he tipped over the edge, sending himself pitching over the high wall.

“Shit!” Izuku cursed, making a dash. He dove forward, arms outstretched to catch Kota.

Kota fell in Izuku’s outstretched arms. In his flustered, accidental perverted-ness, Kota’s nose was very much bloody. The innocence of a small child.

Kota must have fallen unconscious when he tripped, Izuku observed mentally. Izuku sighed, shaking his head. 

“I’ll take him to Mandalay,” he muttered. Izuku turned on his heel, retreating just as quickly as he came.

Todoroki flushed and looked away...he didn’t have the courage to speak up...that Izuku’s towel had flapped around haphazardly when he went to save Kota...and he caught sight of his...his...his…

***

“Thanks for looking out for him.”

“It’s fine,” Izuku shook his head. “We did what we could.”

The greenette was looking over at Kota who was laying on the couch unconscious. 

“Is he okay, Kasumi?”

The Soul Guardian was on the couch with a hand placed on the child’s forehead. “Yes, Izuku-sama. He merely fainted before you had caught him.”

Her hand glowed with a dim light of green and Kasumi drew her hand away as Kota’s face seemed to relax and morph into something of contentment. “He’ll just need some rest, I tried to remove any traces of shock he could face.”

“He’ll be fine,” Mandalay assured. “I really do thank you both for what you’ve done...You’re Midoriya Izuku-kun, right?” She placed a cool towel over Kota’s head, smiling softly at her nephew. “You have quick reflexes, from what I’ve seen. Thanks again for doing that for him.”

“Like, Izuku-sama has said before,” Kasumi shook her head. “It’s the least we can do. Isn’t this what heroes have to do as well?”

_ “...wanna-be heroes!!!” _

“Kota-kun doesn’t like heroes, does he?” Izuku murmured, unsure. Kasumi blinked and looked to him. “From what he said earlier to us, that’s what I figured, but he’s surrounded by them. It’s strange to me. I guess...I just wonder why he’d resent them so much.” Izuku ran a hand through his unruly hair, biting at his lip.

“Ah...” Mandalay leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. “You’re right. Kota doesn’t like heroes all that much, not a lot of people do, to be honest.” Mandalay opened her eyes, leaning towards Kota. She stroked his hair gently, giving him an almost apologetic expression.

“Kota...if he was raised like a normal child, I think he’d be like you.”

“Oh...” Izuku frowned, feeling a pang of sadness and familiarity hit his heart. Kota hadn’t been raised like a normal child?

“May I ask what happened at his childhood?” Kasumi questioned softly.

The door opened, and in walked Pixie-Bob. She, too, seemed to hold a somber expression, as she  had been listening in. “Mandalay’s sister—Kota’s mom—was a hero. She was apart of the hero team Water Hose.”

Pixie-Bob sighed, allowing Mandalay to continue the story. “Two years ago, my sister and her husband were killed in a villain attack.”

Izuku’s mouth fell open, the dull stab of sadness once again piercing him. He remembered the news report from that mournful day, yet vaguely.

“They were protecting citizens from the villain. In the world of heroes, it was a respectable and honorable way to go. But for Kota, it wasn’t like that. He was still so little, barely even four...poor Kota couldn’t understand that.”

Mandalay wiped her eyes, letting out a long, exhausted sigh. “Everything, for him, was about his parents. And then one day, they were gone. He kept saying ’my parents left me behind.’”

Pixie-Bob clasped her bare hands together, her eyes tinted with faint morose. “The media kept praising Water Hose. They kept saying it was honorable for them to sacrifice themselves for those innocent civilians. Eventually, Kota kept hearing those kinds of things.

Izuku felt the remorse, the regret, from both of the heroes. He looked to see that Kasumi was wiping at her eyes and sniffing softly.

“Here,” Pixie-bob offered a tissue.

“Thank you, Pixie-bob-san,” Kasumi took the tissue gratefully and dabbed it at her eyes delicately.

“Because of that, Kota decided he resented heroes.” Mandalay rested a hand on Kota’s warm head. “Really, I think he doesn’t like this kind of society in general. Kota doesn’t like us that much either. But he doesn’t really have a choice anymore; we’re the only people he has left.”

“That’s a sad story,” Kasumi nodded. “It’s unfortunate for children to face such a tragedy at such a small age. Sometimes...I wonder what would happen to Izuku-sama if I were not in existence.”

“Hey,” Izuku said softly. “Don’t say that now. I’m really grateful that you’re here with me.”

Kasumi smiled and nodded. 

***

The night came about and everyone was sprawled all over the floor in their sleeping bags snoring or such...except for Izuku and...Mineta who was probably watching something inappropriate under the blanket. 

His bleary eyes focused on a random spot on the shadowed ceiling as he pondered Kota and his feelings. Blinking slowly, Izuku wondered what went through Kota’s head when light of his parents’ demise was shed. Despair, frustration, disappointment, there were a lot of possibilities.

Pushing away the grim thoughts with another periodic shut of his eyelids, Izuku turned the topic of his thoughts to Kota’s opinion. The kid didn’t like heroes.

Not everyone liked heroes, though. That was fine; some had their hazy reasons, some were bad people, had bad experiences with heroes.

In Izuku’s honest, reasonable opinion, Kota’s feelings on heroes were probably the worst off. His resentment of them stemmed from the death of Water Hose.

Thinking of it from a logical viewpoint, Kota’s deep rancor for heroes and those affiliated with heroism would only be rubbing salt in his wounds. Being surrounded by the Pussycats constantly and interacting with them on a daily basis would probably bother him to the point of no return.

Izuku sighed and found himself subconsciously staring at Todoroki...he looked peaceful in his sleep with his cheek pressed against his skull from the pillow. Izuku suppressed a small smile...dragging the blanket by the corner to bring it over him...and closed his eyes to sleep.


	18. The Chaotic Tempest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training has started for our hero duo, and things aren't off to a great start for Class 1-A. 
> 
> Kasumi makes an effort to try and console a young spiteful boy...
> 
> Though, how will Izuku and Kasumi handle the appearance of danger? Especially, danger All Might had cautioned about?

The sun wasn’t up...but Class 1-A was forced awake by a certain homeroom pro hero teacher. It was 5:00 in the morning at that time...Kasumi had informed...the reason why they were forced awake?

Training.

”What time is it?” Ojiro complained, rubbing the bleariness from his eyes. Izuku swung himself up and promptly fell back down on his makeshift bed.

”5:06,” Aizawa replied as if it were no big deal. “Time to get up.”

”Too early, Sensei...” With a low groan, Ojiro tiredly cracked open his eyes. He pouted at Aizawa and mumbled to himself about the sun.

Izuku yawned, burying his head into his pillow and curling up, pulling his blanket over his shoulders. “Five more minutes

Reluctantly, and with a bit of prodding from those already fresh and ready, Izuku unhappily got up and dressed.

Aizawa had all of class A gathered in an empty clearing to explain their new schedule. 

“Good morning, girls and boys,” their teacher greeted blankly. Somehow, despite the time of day, Aizawa was fully awake. “Today will be the real deal. We will be increasing your strength with the exercises you’ll be assigned. In doing so, we will be achieving the whole purpose of this training camp; to help you all face dangers that are becoming more of a threat every day.”

Aizawa rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a ball. It was almost identical to the one they used during the test at the beginning of the year. “Bakugo, throw that as far as you can.” Aizawa tossed the ball to Bakugo, who caught it with ease.

“That’s from the fitness test,” Sato observed curiously. Bakugo frowned at the round object, gifting Aizawa a confused glance. 

“Your record from the fitness test was 705 meters. Throw that ball, and see how much you’ve improved.”

“Checking our progress?” Yaoyorozu sighed. “Ah, I see. We’ve been through a lot, we are bound to grow stronger from those experiences. I wonder...”

Bakugo strode to an empty area, ball in hand. He swung his arm back and forth as the rest of the class chattered amongst themselves.

Bakugo reeled his arm back, preparing to throw the ball. “GO TO HELL!”

Izuku blinked...well that was totally and utterly  _ Kacchan _ . The ball soared up and away, wind blowing softly from Bakugo’s throw. Aizawa read the results and then showed it to Bakugo.

“710 meters.”

Bakugo glowered at the phone. His face twitched in a mix of humiliation and vexation. Kirishima raised a tired, amused brow. “Oh, man, Bakugo...”

Aizawa pocketed his phone. “As I said: this is what training camp is for. It’s been three months since school started. You’ve all trained, all had different experiences, and you’ve all grown. That improvement has mainly been maturity-wise, maybe for some, it’s been beyond that.”

Aizawa’s eyes momentarily shifted from Todoroki to Izuku. “Yet your quirks themselves, you have not had much time to work on.  That is why we’re at this training camp. From now on, we’ll be testing and improving your quirks in the most vigorously and exhausting way, so much that to the point that you’ll want to die.”

Izuku gulped. 

“ _ Izuku-sama...will you permit for me to replenish my energy for the day? _ ”

“ _ DON’T MAKE ME GO THROUGH THIS ALONE, KASUMI!! _ ”

***

As most everyone in the class had extremely differing quirks, Aizawa assigned them all different tasks to strengthen their abilities. For example, Yaoyorozu and Sato were spending their time eating assorted sweets, but both for different reasons. Yaoyorozu uses the lipids in the food she consumes to create whatever she can, while Sato’s quirk revolves around sugar.

The Pussycats would be assisting the two classes. Although there were 40 students at the camp total, the heroes had it completely covered.

One of the Pussycats, Ragdoll, had an astonishing quirk that could keep track of around 100 people at once. Pixie-Bob could help with what area student needed land-wise, and Mandalay’s Telepath could direct advice or instructions to multiple people at once.

Aizawa decided to pit Izuku and Kasumi against a member of the Wild, Wild Pussycats: Tiger.

Tiger was the most powerful Pussycat of them all, speaking in terms of physical strength. They decided to focus on One For All...and probably concentrate on the extent of their power as Soul Guardian. As such though...Tiger had advised that Izuku would fight him along with Kasumi.

“Hyah!”

Kasumi had spiraled in the air and swung her staff downwards like a glaive, but Tiger had leaned backward narrowly avoiding the swing. The hero had punched forward and Kasumi had barely managed to block it with her staff and was sent backward regaining her footing. 

“Switch! Izuku-sama!”

The said boy lunged forward with his fist reeled back, but the hero merely swatted Izuku away from him and into the tree. Kasumi had no time to worry as she fashioned the air in a mini-cyclone around her staff and she jumped forward jabbing, twirling and swinging her staff upwards, but Tiger got a glancing blow on her stomach and she was sent backward, the air stopping her midway and green light dancing around herself and Izuku.

The greenette charged forward again punching forward. The hero avoided it but the whirlwind erupted forward pushing the hero back. Izuku was panting heavily, while Kasumi cleverly concealed it with soothing deep breaths that kept her composure. They were going at it for thirty minutes.

“C’mon, kid! Isn’t your school motto Plus Ultra?! Show me some Plus Ultra!” Tiger ordered. 

Izuku regained his footing before throwing his head back and yelling up at the sky. “PLUS ULTRA!!!”

***

A loud grunt and Izuku didn’t have the motivation to stand up again. Sure he kept One For All: Full Cowling at 5%...but he was still exhausted by the amount of stress he put on his body channeling both of his Quirks at the same time. As proof to this testimony...there was blood that dripped in a small stream at his nose. 

“Izuku-sama?” Kasumi asked. “Shall I heal this…”

“I’m fine,” Izuku replied immediately standing up. “I have to this on my own sometimes! Plus Ultra, right?!”

Kasumi stopped and then smiled. “Plus Ultra, Izuku-sama.”

“That’s right! Keep fighting! Stretch apart your weak body and fight me! Plus Ultra, yeah?!”

“PLUS ULTRA!”

***

By the time dinner had rolled around, Izuku was on the verge of collapse...Kasumi, on the other hand, seemed to be significantly better, being able to walk forward in a straight line without stumbling. Izuku still didn’t get the dry flaking blood stains off his nose, much to Kasumi’s dismay.

“Is he alright?” Shouto asked Kasumi in a hushed tone. The Soul Guardian smiled knowingly at the male and nodded.

“He just pushed himself a little bit too far.”

“All right!” Ragdoll cheered with ebullience. “Remember what Pixie-Bob said yesterday? You get to make your own food today! Make your own curry!”

The 40 students grumbled their acceptance. Kasumi smiled and rolled her sleeves up. “Izuku-sama! Please leave this task to me!”

“Mm...okay,” Izuku mumbled tiredly. He really seemed out of it. 

Aizawa rolled his eyes, swiping a hand over his forehead. How he survived in that outfit during the summer was a mystery among many. Ragdoll bounced around in a gleeful frenzy as the students groaned and complained.

“You’re all tired! That just means you’ve been working hard! I’m so glad to see that!” Ragdoll giggled over-excitedly. She probably fit the role of a dog more than a cat.

“Don’t go makin’ any sloppy kitty food just cause you’re tired! Do your best!” Ragdoll cried to the sky. She giggled once more, paws outstretched.

Iida started to mutter to himself, chewing on his thumb. “Everyone! Let’s make the best curry ever!” the bespectacled boy encouraged. He waved his arms, swinging them back and forth.

Izuku shook his head, snapping out of his daze. “Iida-kun sure knows how to get people going,” Izuku murmured. 

“Iida-san is a great motivator, isn’t he? Izuku-sama.”

***

It ended up with Izuku tiredly dragging wood over to the stoves. He was barely able to stay awake, while Kasumi seemed to  _ fly  _ from station to station overseeing the process and expertly, hacking at pieces of meat, peeling the most potatoes in almost a second, and washing the most amount of rice.

If only Kasumi could channel her energy over to Izuku, that would be downright dandy. Izuku watched distractedly as Todoroki lit up a few stoves for the students. Ashido beckoned him over, pleading the boy to do theirs’ next.

Todoroki strode over, crouching down in front of Uraraka and Ashido’s stove. Todoroki’s left side came alive, pleasantly bright. He leaned his alit hand forward and set fire to the wood.

“Yay-yay!” Ashido cheered, pumping her fists. “Burn it all up!”

Uraraka laughed and shook her head in lighthearted disapproval. “Mina-chan, no! Don’t burn it all up!”

For a split second, Izuku swore he saw a smile spread across Todoroki’s face. Izuku felt his own grin crack staring at the half and half boy...but there was a swift whack on his head and he held the back of his head groaning painfully.

“Ow! What was that for?!”

Izuku looked up to see that Kasumi was standing there. “Izuku-sama, you may be tired and there is a sight to behold, but please do refrain from slacking off.”

“Okay…”

***

With aroma drifting through the air, the curry was finally finished. 

Despite what Ragdoll told them, it was still a little sloppy. But the important part wasn’t the look, it was the taste. And it tasted very good, for that matter...well in Izuku’s opinion. Kasumi had partaken in consuming some of the food. Bakugo raised a question about how she could’ve just rested within Izuku and not waste any supplies...but it was immediately shot down by a glare from Todoroki...who was extremely intimidating at that point.

“Yao-momo, you eat a lot! How come?” Ashido questioned through a mouthful of food, turning towards Yaoyorozu. Yaoyorozu leaned back in her seat, setting down her bowl.

“My Creation turns lipids from the food I’m eating into the things I create. So the more I eat, the more I can create. It’s very beneficial!”

Sero stopped eating for a moment to process her clarification. “Oh, so like poop?”

Yaoyorozu looked away with a look of embarrassment and shame on her face. The aura around her thickened with that of depression. Jiro whacked him in the back of the head. “Shut up and say you’re sorry!” she threatened, holding her hand up.

“I’m sorry!” Sero cowered, covering his bowl of food. “Not the curry!”

“Kota! Come and eat!”

Izuku looked up to see that Mandalay was yelling at Kota’s direction, but the child merely ignored the hero’s calls and continued to stalk off angrily into the forest. Kasumi stared off at Kota’s direction before standing up from her seat next to Izuku and walking over to the curry pot, scooping some rice on a plate, pouring some curry on as well.

“Kasumi,” Izuku looked up at the Soul Guardian. “What are you doing?”

“Ah!” Kasumi turned to Izuku. “Sorry, but Izuku-sama. Will you permit me to go to Kota by myself. I do think you should stay here and spend some time with, Iida-san, Uraraka-san, and Shouto-san.”

Izuku blinked before nodding reluctantly. “Okay...be careful though.”

“I will, Izuku-sama.”

***

Kota grumbled angrily looking down at the flickering lights of the lodging from the cliff of his ‘secret place.’ 

“Stupid hero wannabes.”

“No...I don’t think they’re stupid.”

Kota jumped startled and looked up to see that Kasumi was walking over to Kota with a plate of curry in her hands.

“How did you…”

“May I join you, Kota-san?” Kasumi asked with a soft smile. “The night sky is an enchanting sight tonight.”

Kota stopped before turning away...silent. The Soul Guardian took that as a grudging yes and walked over to the boy before sitting down. “Here, it may be a little cold, but I brought a plate of curry for you. I noticed that you weren’t eating dinner Kota-san.”

“I’m not going to touch something that  _ you people  _ made,” Kota grumbled angrily threatening to smack the plate out of Kasumi’s hands. Though what surprised Kota was that Kasumi reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. 

“I’m technically not a person,” Kasumi said softly. “I am Izuku-sama’s Quirk. Through that technicality, would you at least consider eating this, Kota-san? Even a small child like you needs all the nutrients to grow up to be strong.”

Kota stopped, he admitted that Kasumi got him there. He huffed and took a spoonful out of the dish munching on the lukewarm curry. 

“Kota-san,” Kasumi said softly. “I...well it isn’t in my place to intrude about your personal life and all the things that you went through. I have no say in the manner cause I never experienced loss in the span of my...existence, but Kota-san?”

“What?” Kota said with tones of extreme anger lying in his voice. 

“Why do you hate...no that’s the wrong question. Why do you hate Quirks?”

Kota stopped midway of taking another spoonful. He’s always heard why do you hate heroes...no he didn’t hate heroes in particular. He hated Quirks...and the sense of duty that came when Quirks were born into this world. He was young...but it didn’t mean that he wasn’t perceptive. 

“I do know that it’s a major offense to ask this question since I myself am the mere manifestation of a Quirk,” Kasumi sighed. “But you don’t hate heroes, do you? You never hated your parents...only the reason why they left this world in the first place.”

“You don’t know anything!” Kota barked angrily slamming his spoon against the plate, splattering bits of curry everywhere. 

Kasumi blinked. “You’re right. I don’t know anything about how you feel. I suppose that you are very much aggravated of my presence here.”

Kasumi stood up and walked a few steps away from the boy before stopping. “But, it’s true that your parents died for a just cause, but it isn’t right that they left their child behind. You see, I believe that the world creates people unfairly, but the world it gives people chances later in their life. Don’t you think?  _ Kota-kun _ .”

Kota faltered and watched as Kasumi walked away leaving Kota alone at his ‘secret hideout.’ Kasumi kept quiet...about the traces of rust and water on the rocks of the cliff.

***

The next day...well it was a solid repeat of yesterday except for the fact that Kasumi was sent to train by herself. Izuku looked up at the umpteenth time at the dozens of tornadoes that whirled about at the top of the mountain. Izuku remembered that Kasumi was sent to work on controlling the air a bit more efficiently as well as learning how to use all her other powers all at the same time.

It was a bit more of a struggle...Izuku facing off Tiger without the help of his Soul Guardian, but he gritted through and kept on going despite his fatigue. 

“Remember where you came from!” Aizawa ordered. “Remember why you’re tired, why you keep getting yelled at. Remember why you’re here, and keep working!”

_ Where we came from...? _

Forgetting his duties at the moment, Izuku brought himself to a standstill as he pondered a mostly irrelevant matter.

How come All Might wasn’t with them at the forest? And how come there were no other teachers?

Izuku’s pensive thoughts were interrupted as he was slammed into the ground, the wind knocked out of him as he smacked face-first into the dirt. He was met with the sight of Tiger looking down on him with a minor angry expression. “What are you doing standing around like that?! Show me your PLUS ULTRA!!!”

Izuku nodded and yelled. “PLUS ULTRA!!!”

***

“How was your training regimen?” Izuku asked looking at Kasumi. 

“It was quite splendid,” she replied as she slid some firewood that Izuku had gathered into the furnace. “I do feel that I have improved in my art of air manipulation. Despite that, I do have a long way to go before I can merely call myself powerful.”

“Don’t put yourself down because of that,” Izuku said. Kasumi shook her head.

“It isn’t a note of depression, Izuku-sama,” Kasumi replied. “Think of it more as a self-motivational speech that’ll boost my efforts to strive to be my very best.”

Izuku handed the Soul Guardian another log of firewood. “Guess that’ll go for the both of us, huh?”

“I do believe so, Izuku-sama.”

“Kasumi.”

The Soul Guardian placed the last piece of firewood before looking up at a certain half-quirked boy. “Yes, Shouto-san? How may I help you?”

Izuku looked up and felt his heart flutter at the sight of the aloof boy. Just why did he have to end up love-stricken like a little kitten? 

“I was wondering why you went to the forest with a plate of curry and returned without one,” he replied. Kasumi smiled sadly in return and beckoned Shouto to set the pile of wood aflame. 

“It was about Kota-kun,” Kasumi replied. Izuku stopped...and turned to the Soul Guardian. She had scarcely ever used that honorific to refer to anyone. 

“Who?”

“Mandalay’s little nephew,” Izuku supplied on Kasumi’s stead becoming more and more flustered. “You know? The little boy who tried punching me?”

Todoroki looked up at the sky...Izuku followed suit...barely noting that the sky was the color of Kasumi’s ribbon. 

“So why’d you go to the forest for a little kid?” Todoroki looked down at Kasumi.

“He had barely touched any food,” Kasumi supplied. “He also seemed very lonely Shouto-san...I just thought it would be a good idea to bring him a proper meal and offer up my friendship. Of course being the spiteful young boy he is...he didn’t take well to my presence there.”

Izuku turned to the brunette reaching out and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. She smiled and gratefully and Todoroki coughed regaining their attention.

“I know you meant well, Kasumi,” Todoroki started. “But you should think about it like this: you’re just a stranger to him. To him, a little kid, I imagine it’d be irritating for some stranger to waltz in and talk about personal things. What your actions depend on is the take Kota holds. You can’t just go up to him and start preaching. Try a different approach, if my advice doesn’t differ your opinion.”

Kasumi took in a shallow breath and smiled gratefully. “Thank you for such invaluable advice Shouto-san. I will take extreme accounts to what you have said.”

From beside Aoyama, Iida burst into action upon seeing as Todoroki, Kasumi, and Izuku dilly-dallying.

“You three! Get back to work and help us make more stew!”

Izuku watched as Todoroki complied, hopping back into his own work. Kasumi as well...Izuku took a few steps over to the half-quirked boy to express his gratitude. “Thank you, Shouto-kun.”

***

“Now that we’ve eaten, it’s time to play! Test of courage!” Pixie-Bob announced boisterously, clapping her paws together. She grinned excitedly at the group of Yuuei students.

The five with remedial lessons, plus Monoma, wouldn’t be participating in the test of courage, unfortunately. Aizawa had to drag them away with his bandages while the five wailed.

Class B would be the first ‘scarers.’ Class A would be split into pairs and enter the forest every three minutes. There was a trail they would walk on to get around and back. The scarers weren’t allowed to touch the to-be-scared, all they had to do was scare them with their quirks.

According to Tiger, the class that makes the most people piss their pants wins.

“Revelry in the dark...” Tokoyami uttered. Uraraka gave him a funny glance, nudging Tsu.

“He said it again!”

Since there were five at remedial lessons, and twenty kids total as the scare-ees for the first round, there was bound to be an odd man out.

Izuku was, unfortunately, the odd man out, but thankfully they permitted for Kasumi to be with him. Izuku’s “team” would be the last to go in the forest.

Tokoyami and Shouji was the first team up. They entered the trail together, disappearing into the greens and browns of the forest. Three minutes later, Todoroki and Bakugo followed suit, with the latter silently raging at his picked partner. Izuku admitted that he was jealous of the ash-blonde for being paired up with Shouto. 

After a few minutes of waiting...Tsu and Uraraka entered the forest next. Kasumi tensed beside Izuku and he looked up at the Soul Guardian. “Kasumi...is there something wrong.”

“Izuku-sama...the scent of something burning is in the air,” she replied solemnly. “I don’t think that it is some mere accident.”

Izuku blinked and sniffed the air. Sure enough, the distinct smell of burning wood was drifting the air...the source? Black smoke billowing up into the air in a distance away. Kasumi snapped her head into some other direction to see that out of nowhere, Pixie-Bob started to glow. She was lifted up off the ground she stood and thrown backward. “What the-?!”

Izuku was a bit too late to react...but the Soul Guardian deployed her power as blue light emanated from her staff. The pinkish glow around Pixie-Bob dispersed immediately and Izuku looked to see that there was a lizard man with a large sword, and a gruff woman with shades. She was pushed down against the ground by pale blue light, but it dispersed immediately afterward.

The greenette noticed Kasumi’s mouth moving to something reminiscent of ‘villains.’ 

“Why...why?” Mineta backed up carefully behind their classmates. “This wasn’t...supposed to happen?”

Izuku’s hands tangled themselves into his dark shirt, twisting the fabric. His mouth fell open into an ‘o’ as he watched Pixie-Bob’s attempted attacker cackle maniacally.

”...why...are they...”

Tiger and Mandalay rushed in planting themselves in front of the students.

With one last cry, Mineta’s realization finally dawned on them all.

“Why are the villains here?!”


End file.
